An Israeli soldier from the Givati Brigade carries his equipment after returning to Israel from Gaza. Photo/REUTERS
TEL AVIV – A group of Israeli soldiers in the elite Givati Brigade force refused to take part in military operations in the Gaza Strip.
They accused the Israeli military of ignoring their psychological and physical well-being, according to a Haaretz report on Wednesday (14/2/2024).
Since the Israeli army began its ground operations in Gaza at the end of October 2023, the Givati Brigade, which consists of elite soldiers, has participated in the most difficult fighting in the enclave and lost many of its leaders and members.
This condition forced the Israeli military leadership to “temporarily” withdraw the elite troops from the battlefield in Gaza.
When talking to field commanders, the soldiers admitted that they did not have the mental strength to return to the battlefield and admitted that they were afraid that doing so would endanger their lives.
The newspaper said military leaders had not yet decided how to respond to the soldiers’ refusal to fight in Gaza.
Israeli army data updated yesterday showed 15 soldiers injured in a 24-hour period.
In total, 2,897 soldiers were injured since October 7 including 437 seriously injured, 761 moderately injured and 1,699 lightly injured.
However, according to the Israeli military, as many as 1,352 soldiers were injured in ground fighting in the Gaza Strip.
2024-02-15 15:01:04
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