Families of Israeli soldiers address officials, reject Rafah invasion
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The families of 600 Israeli soldiers have demanded that Herzi Halevi and Yoav Gallant backtrack on the Rafah invasion.
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Palestinians stand in the ruins of the Chahine family home, after an overnight Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 3, 2024 (AP)
Israeli newspaper Maariv revealed that the families of over 600 Israeli occupation soldiers carrying out the genocide in Gaza addressed Security Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in a letter, demanding a backtrack on the Rafah invasion.
Reportedly, the letter further stated that they did not trust Halevi and Gallant, and warned of the invasion being a death trap.
Last week, Israeli news broadcaster Channel 12 reported that a total of 30 servicemembers in the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) refused to comply with orders to ready the army for a ground invasion of the city of Rafah.
The broadcaster cited fatigue as the primary reason for the refusal, stating that these servicemembers feel unable to continue fighting in Gaza after nearly 7 months of combat.
Forces from the reserve paratrooper company attached to the regular Paratroopers Brigade reportedly received orders to prepare for action in Rafah, Channel 12 states, but they later informed their superiors that they "will not come because they are no longer capable of doing so."
Army officials said they would not force reserve personnel to partake in the invasion, yet their refusal is said to be a clear indication of depleted reserve forces after months of fighting.
Israeli captives families continue to protest to oust Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Tuesday that an invasion of the densely-populated Rafah city will take place regardless of whether an exchange deal with the Palestinian Resistance was reached or not.
"The idea that we will stop the war before all its goals have been achieved is irrelevant. We will enter Rafah and destroy Hamas battalions there, with or without an agreement [on hostages], to achieve absolute victory," he told families of the captives held in the Strip.
For many weeks now, Israelis have been flooding the streets of Tel Aviv and several other areas, demanding that Netanyahu resign over his performance in the war on Gaza, including his continued dismissal of an exchange deal.
According to Channel 13, around 45,000 people demonstrated in Tel Aviv on April 22, while organizers said the number was 100,000. Protesters said that the political leadership seemed removed from the predicament of captives, noting that negotiators would frequently share photographs and anecdotes about the captives to help lawmakers be more empathetic.
