Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian agency: Russia will conduct a nuclear test if the US does
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an address aired on Al Mayadeen: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners

'Gray refusal'; Israeli soldiers' reluctance to return to Gaza

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Israeli media
  • 22 Oct 2024 20:32
4 Min Read

Parents of Israeli soldiers recount their children's fear and refusal to return to the battlefield in the Gaza Strip.

Listen
  • x
  • 'Gray refusal'; Israeli soldiers' reluctance to return to Gaza
    A screen grab from a video published by the al-Qassam Brigades shows several Israeli soldiers lured into an ambush, in Rafah, Gaza, on October 15, 2024 (Military Media)

A growing number of Israeli soldiers are quietly refusing to return to the battlefield in the Gaza Strip, largely due to the fierce resistance from Palestinian fighters, the Israeli outlet HaMakom reported.

According to the report, interviews with over 20 soldiers and their parents from various battalions reveal mounting dissatisfaction within the military ranks.

"After 12 consecutive months of a war that goes nowhere, the soldiers are ‘black.’ In military slang, this means that they are depressed, worn out and unmotivated," the outlet indicated.

The soldiers describe feeling demoralized, mentally fatigued, and emotionally scarred by the ongoing war in the region. Their parents have echoed these concerns, with one mother, Eidit, saying the soldiers are demoralized by being sent back to places in Gaza they fought in months earlier.

Returning to Gaza 'broke the soldiers'

The return to areas like Jabalia, al-Zaytoun, and Shujaiya "broke the soldiers," according to Eidit.

“These are the same places where they lost their friends. The area was already clean. It had to be preserved. It frustrated them a lot.”

Eidit explained that what's killing the soldiers "is the conditions and the duration of the fighting with no end in sight. You never know when you will get out and it's been like this for a year."

For example, soldiers in the Nahal Brigade spend five weeks fighting in Gaza before rotating home for rest, the report highlighted, adding that this has been done 11 times since October 2023.

Related News

Islamic Jihad delegation arrives in Egypt for Gaza ceasefire talks

Every 2 days, 13 Palestinians amputated, 6 paralyzed or blinded

However, during the 11th deployment, only six out of a platoon of 30 returned, with the rest finding excuses to avoid going back.

“They return to the same buildings that they cleaned, each time trapping them anew. They have been to al-Zaytoun neighborhood three times already. They understand that it is futile and pointless," said Inbal, the mother of a Nahal Brigade soldier.

'Like sitting ducks at the range'

Another parent from the Nahal Brigade echoed similar sentiments, saying, “The wards are empty. Everyone who is not dead or injured is mentally damaged. There are very few left who returned to fight."

Yael, the mother of a commando, shared her son’s frustration. “We are like sitting ducks at the range. We don't understand what we're doing here."

In March, four soldiers from Yael’s son's unit were killed and dozens more were injured in three separate attacks. Despite being transferred into a reserve unit, they were sent straight back to Gaza.

'I'm not going back to the battalion'

In the same context, the Israeli outlet HaMakom pointed out that after "Israel" announced the launch of its ground incursion into Lebanon, one mother quoted her son as saying, “I don't know what army they're thinking of entering Lebanon with, but I'm not going back to the battalion.”

Another soldier expressed frustration over poorly executed offensives due to a lack of manpower.

Among the soldiers' families, this growing reluctance to return to battle is being referred to as "silent" or "gray" refusal.

It is noteworthy that the Israeli occupation military has officially acknowledged the killing of over 750 troops since October 2023, with more than 350 killed during the ground invasion of Gaza.

In recent weeks, around 50 soldiers have been killed and hundreds injured, along the Lebanese border.

However, the Resistance factions have repeatedly indicated that the true number of Israeli military casualties is much higher, suggesting that the regime is concealing the full extent of its losses.

Read more: Trauma, suicide plaguing Israeli soldiers upon return from Gaza: CNN

  • Gaza Strip
  • war on Gaza
  • Palestine
  • IOF
  • Israel
  • Gaza
War on Gaza

War on Gaza

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025
Al-Quds Brigades strike a command and control center north of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, in an undated screengrab from the al-Quds Brigades military media

Gaza resistance announces major operations against Israeli forces

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Retired Israeli General Brik says Israel has reached point of no return.
Politics

Retired Israeli General Brik: 'Israel has reached point of no return'

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation
Politics

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation

Gaza’s newborns gasp for life as hospitals collapse amid Israeli war
Health

Gaza newborns gasp for life, share oxygen masks amid collapsed system

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls
Politics

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS