Israeli group reports unprecedented surge in conscription refusals amid Gaza war

An Israeli group has reported an unprecedented rise in the number of Israelis refusing to serve in the military due to ethical and ideological objections  amid the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip. 

The Yesh Gvul group shared a statement on X social media platform featuring testimony from Sophia Or, one of the Israelis refusing military service. She has served a prison sentence for refusing military service.  

“I am ready to continue paying the price and sit in prison if it prevents the dehumanization from going on in complete silence. I must read, even from prison: they are human! (Palestinians),” Or said.

“There is a huge difference between an army that carries out justified missions … and an army (the Israeli military) whose entire activity is full of injustices,” she added.

Israeli military imposes imprisonment on those who refuse conscription.

Founded in 1982, Yesh Gvul is a political movement supporting refuseniks. The movement reported a significant increase in the number of Israelis refusing to enlist in protest of the regime’s policies towards Palestine.

Yishai Menuchin, a spokesperson for the group, said they assisted around 40 soldiers who refused to enlist in the reserves.

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Overall, Yesh Gvul received about 100 requests for assistance from individuals refusing military service.

Another group, Mesarvot, noted a sharp increase in the number of reservists seeking help.

David Zonshein, founder of the Courage to Refuse movement, said that he received requests for help from dozens of refuseniks, especially in recent months, which is significantly more than in previous years.

In the early months of the Israeli war on the besieged Palestinian territory, the high number of conscripts, around 300,000, led to an increase in refusals.

 Increase is attributed to the complexities of the war, war crimes, the growing protest against the regime's behavior and both ideological and exhaustion-induced refuseniks.

At the end of April, around 30 reservists from the Paratroopers Brigade, called for the invasion of the southern Gazan city of Rafah, announced their refusal to serve.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest rulings has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah. 

Israel's relentless shelling and artillery fire continue to claim more Palestinian lives. The border city of Rafah has been under constant Israeli bombing.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

More than 36,200 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 81,400 others injured.

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