3 more Israeli soldiers jailed for refusing Gaza combat orders due to ‘exhaustion'

An Israeli military court sentenced three more soldiers to prison Tuesday for refusing to return to fighting in the Gaza Strip, citing “exhaustion,” Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported.

The three soldiers are members of the Armored Corps. One of them reportedly lives in a settlement near the Gaza border.

While the court did not disclose the length of the sentence, similar cases have typically resulted in short-term imprisonment lasting several weeks.

A military spokesperson who was not named told KAN the incident reflects a broader trend of refusals by Israeli soldiers.

Last week, two soldiers from the Nahal Brigade were sentenced to 20 days in prison for refusing to participate in Gaza operations.

On May 18, Israeli media reported that 11 soldiers refused to enter the Gaza Strip for combat, citing “extreme exhaustion,” and faced possible imprisonment.

This is not the first time Israeli troops have refused to rejoin the war. Last August, around 20 infantry soldiers asked their commanders to excuse them from combat, stating they were no longer physically or mentally capable of returning to Gaza after 10 consecutive months of fighting. They expressed a willingness to serve in non-combat roles, KAN reported.

In early May, the Israeli army began issuing tens of thousands of reserve call-up orders in preparation for expanding its genocide in Gaza.

The same month, a research team from Tel Aviv University revealed that around 12% of the Israeli reserve soldiers who took part in the Gaza war are suffering from severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), rendering them unfit for return to military service, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 54,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.​​​​​​​

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.