Three Israeli Soldiers Fired And Imprisoned For Refusing To Return To Gaza

Israeli military illustration. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - Three Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers on duty in the Nahal Infantry Brigade were dismissed from combat duty and jailed for disobedience, the Israeli military said.

The case was first reported by Israeli public broadcaster Kan and later confirmed by the IDF.

According to Kan, four soldiers in Battalion 931 Nahal were suspended from fighting for refusing to enter Gaza after several rounds of fighting in the Gaza Strip, quoted from The Times of Israel July 28.

Three people have been sentenced and will serve a sentence of seven to 12 days in prison, while the fourth has not yet been sentenced.

Kan reported that the four soldiers told the unit commander where they served, they could no longer enter Gaza because of the "deep internal crisis."

Meanwhile, the IDF responded to the report, saying three organic soldiers from the Nahal Brigade "refused to enter fighting in the Gaza Strip."

The Israeli military noted the soldiers met with a mental health worker, "who decided they deserved to participate in the fighting."

"After undergoing disciplinary procedures, the fighters remained on their refusal and were therefore sentenced to prison in military prison," the IDF said.

The IDF stated that the case was handled with "referrences and in accordance with orders," adding that it views "insurgency as a serious matter, especially during fighting, and will continue to uphold the discipline and values of command."

Earlier this month, Israeli sources said there was severe psychological trauma among the country's military personnel due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip, causing suicide of a number of its personnel since the latest conflict broke out in October 2023.

The sources confirmed that at least 43 Israeli army personnel had committed suicide due to war-related mental health problems since October 7, 2023, according to Al Jazeera, as reported by IRNA.

Israeli sources have reported an increase in suicide rates among Israeli soldiers. The latest case is Daniel Edri, a 24-year-old soldier in charge of transporting the bodies of soldiers killed on the front lines in Lebanon and Gaza, who committed suicide due to psychological trauma.

In line with that, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, citing various sources, wrote the Israeli army, due to a shortage of personnel, recruiting individuals with mental illness from reserve forces to fight in Gaza.

The Israeli military, which faces labor shortages and increased suicide of soldiers, called on troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), he added.

Israel's Ministry of Homeland Security previously announced that 9,000 Israeli soldiers had been mentally disabled since October 7, 2023.