Three Israeli soldiers sentenced to prison for refusing to fight in Gaza

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported on Sunday that a military court sentenced three soldiers from the 931st Battalion of the Nahal Brigade to prison for refusing to fight in Gaza, despite having served in several previous tours since the outbreak of the war of extermination in the Strip.

According to the report by the Broadcasting Authority, three soldiers were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one week to 12 days, while the case of a fourth soldier in the same case has not yet been decided. All four were excluded from any future combat missions.

The report stated that the four soldiers fought inside Gaza for months, and during their service, they lost several comrades and were exposed to "harsh scenes and tragic experiences," according to the mother of one of them, who said, "These things will remain deeply etched in their hearts."

On May 29, an Israeli military court also sentenced two other soldiers from the Nahal Brigade to prison for refusing to participate in the war on Gaza.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority also reported at the same time that dozens of reserve soldiers in the medical corps signed a petition declaring that they would not be prepared to return to combat in the Gaza Strip.

She said that reserve soldiers with the rank of lieutenant colonel and below, including doctors, paramedics, and combat medics, indicated that their refusal to serve was motivated by calls to seize Palestinian land in Gaza and settle it.

They considered this a violation of international law, and this was the main factor behind their refusal, in addition to the lack of progress towards a prisoner exchange deal with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

The signatories of the petition explained that they refused to continue volunteering in the reserve forces because of the length of the war, which they said had gone beyond all logic, and because of the damage it was causing to civilians on both sides and to the Israeli social fabric.

The signatories added that continuous exposure to extremely traumatic events and life-threatening situations causes post-traumatic damage, in addition to degrading the human image.

100,000 disabled people

Separately, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that data from the Defense Ministry's Rehabilitation Division revealed that 100,000 disabled soldiers, including those with mental illnesses, have been injured in all of Israel's wars. Most of these have been injured since October 7, 2023, and officials say the worst is yet to come.

The newspaper quoted sources as saying that the number of soldiers suffering from psychological crises has increased significantly in recent months.

The army said that more than 10,000 soldiers have suffered psychological crises since the October 7 attack and are receiving treatment.

He added that last year saw a peak in psychological injuries, with more than 9,000. The data also revealed that the majority of soldiers suffering from psychological crises last year were under the age of 30.

The army expects this year to witness an increase in the number of soldiers suffering from psychological crises, requiring state support.

It should be noted that since October 7, 2023, Israel, with US support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.

In addition to the martyrs and wounded, most of whom were children and women, the genocide left more than 9,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that claimed the lives of many, including dozens of children.