A group of Israeli soldiers in the elite Givati Brigade have refused to take part in military operations in the Gaza Strip, accusing the army of neglecting their psychological and physical well-being, Haaretz reported on Wednesday.
Since the Israeli army began its ground invasion of in Gaza at the end of October 2023, the Givati Brigade, which includes elite fighters, has participated in the most difficult battles in the enclave and lost many of its leaders and members, forcing the army leadership to “temporarily” withdraw them from the battlefield.
Palestinian Resistance groups have repeatedly defeated Givati and other elite forces in Gaza, pushing them to withdraw from certain areas after costing them many soldiers between dead and wounded.
Scared Soldiers
During a conversation with field commanders, the soldiers claimed they did not have the mental strength to return to the battlefield and expressed fear that it would endanger their lives.
The newspaper said the army leaders have not yet decided how to respond to the soldiers’ refusal to rejoin the battle.
Thousands of Israeli soldiers have been reportedly killed and wounded in the Gaza war so far.
Estimated Israeli military losses remain much higher in media and leaked hospital reports when compared to the official number declared by the Israeli military.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 28,663 Palestinians have been killed, and 68,395 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
(MEMO, PC)