Refusal to fight in the Gaza Strip – Ten Israeli soldiers face trial

KAN mentioned that several battalions of other brigades had also reported similar difficulties in the fighting in Gaza.

Twenty Israeli soldiers from an infantry brigade refused to return to the battlefield in the Gaza Strip. Ten of them faced a trial if they refused to obey military orders, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported on Wednesday.

According to Anadolu news agency, KAN said the soldiers who received the notification on Tuesday would face trial for disobeying military orders if they did not return to combat duty in Gaza.

The broadcaster reportedly quoted several Israeli soldiers as saying they could not return after ten months of fighting in the Gaza Strip, but were nevertheless ready to take on other tasks.

KAN mentioned that several battalions of other brigades had also reported similar difficulties in the fighting in Gaza.

Families of soldiers come to the defense

Israeli public broadcaster quoted the families of some soldiers as saying that their sons were “forced to take part in ground exercises in Gaza or face prison sentences.”

The soldiers' families reportedly expressed their disbelief and rejection of these measures and vowed to help their children fight back against the system.

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“There are only a few combat-ready soldiers left in their company. Now it is up to us as parents to help them stand up to a system that does not care about them,” the families were quoted as saying.

For his part, a spokesman for the Israeli army assured that the military leadership was making every effort “to support and assist the soldiers in carrying out their various operational tasks.”

The Israeli spokesman said that no disciplinary measures, including prison sentences, would be taken against the soldiers.

Soldier shortage

In July, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that the Israeli army urgently needed 10,000 additional soldiers in light of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

“The army needs 10,000 additional soldiers immediately,” Gallant said during a meeting of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, according to Army Radio.

He mentioned that the army could recruit 4,800 soldiers from ultra-Orthodox men.

Previously, Israel's Supreme Court unanimously ruled last week that ultra-Orthodox Jews must be subject to conscription, ending their decades-long exemption from military service.

Meanwhile, Israel's Channel 12 reported that the army has recently experienced a crisis in the leadership ranks and that there is a clear trend of officers at the ranks of captains and majors leaving their posts.

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The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth announced in August that the names of tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers were listed among those killed and wounded in the ongoing war against Gaza.

According to the report, “no fewer than 10,000 Israeli soldiers are missing today, killed or wounded during the months of fighting in the Gaza Strip.”

The newspaper also reported that about a thousand soldiers are “joining the ranks of the physically and mentally injured,” according to the Israeli Security Ministry's Rehabilitation Department.

Despite these alarming figures, the Knesset and the government are pushing for the reformulation and passage of a law extending conscription, which is reportedly causing great frustration and uncertainty among regular soldiers.

Since the war began last year, about 900 officers have requested a review of the release of their contracts.

Several factors contribute to this crisis, the events of October 7 being a particularly noteworthy factor. Officials reported feeling underappreciated and delegitimized by the public and some politicians.

Ongoing genocide

Israel is ignoring a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and is facing international criticism for its ongoing brutal offensive on Gaza.

Israel, which is currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against the Palestinians, has been waging a devastating war against Gaza since October 7.

According to the Gaza Strip Ministry of Health, 40,602 Palestinians were killed and 93,855 injured in Israel's genocide in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7.

In addition, at least 11,000 people are missing and are believed to be lying dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Gaza Strip.

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According to Israel, 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the flood relief operation in Al-Aqsa on October 7. Israeli media reported that many Israelis were killed by friendly fire that day.

Palestinian and international organizations say the majority of the dead and injured are women and children.

The Israeli war led to an acute famine, especially in the north of the Gaza Strip, and caused the deaths of many Palestinians, especially children.

The Israeli aggression also resulted in the forced displacement of nearly two million people from across the Gaza Strip. The vast majority of those displaced were forced to the densely populated southern city of Rafah, near the border with Egypt. It was the largest mass exodus from Palestine since the Nakba of 1948.

As the war progressed, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began to move from the south to central Gaza in search of safety.

(PC, Anadolu)