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

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
22 Oct 2024 20:32

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

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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.

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.