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Female Israeli soldiers refusing service thrown in jail: Israeli media

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
24 Jan 2024 11:13
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A Ynet report highlights a deep-rooted issue of female Israeli soldiers refusing to serve in critical observation posts.

Female Israeli occupation soldiers mourn another soldier killed in an operation conducted by Egyptian martyr Mohammad Salah, near "Tel Aviv", occupied Palestine, on June 4, 2023. (AP)

Dozens of female Israeli occupation soldiers refused to be transferred to their allocated positions at observation posts, the Israeli Ynet news website revealed, citing the spokesperson for the Israeli occupation forces (IOF), Daniel Hagari.

Hagari said the IOF have to "convince" and "explain" to occupation soldiers the importance of the position. The wave of reluctance, on the part of female Israeli soldiers, comes after several IOF troops serving in such posts were taken captive or killed by the Palestinian Resistance on October 7, 2023.

According to Ynet, about 50 soldiers who were mobilized this week refused to be transferred from training camps and take on their assigned tasks. The news website said their actions disregarded several warnings and the terms of their conscription under the occupation's military ranks.

"We have the moral and ethical obligation to correct what happened that day when we failed to protect the [Nahal Oz] outpost," Hagari told Ynet, in reference to the colonial outpost that was run over by the Palestinian Resistance on the initial day of the Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood.

As described by Ynet, "ample evidence" exists of senior Israeli commanders ignoring the recurrent "warnings" of female soldiers assigned to observatory posts, of an incoming attack, fueling apprehensions about undertaking such tasks.

IOF detains female soldiers

Interestingly, Ynet says several of the female conscripts who refused service were taken into "custody or incarcerated."

One of the detained female soldiers described the ongoing events as a "shame and disgrace." The soldier in question attempted to exempt herself from service by applying paperwork detailing that she suffers from several mental illnesses, including "anxiety" and "attention disorder".

The conscript told her family, "Since October 7, I have not been able to function at all. Unfortunately, the army has not bothered to look at my documents for the past month and currently they are not listening to me at all and are not willing to let me meet a military officer and are simply throwing me in jail."

Israeli military authorities claim that such incidents fall under "routine refusal percentages," with a staggering 20% of female "Border Control" soldiers refusing to be transferred to observation outposts. However, the Israeli news website says the IOF now consider the need for female observers, a "critical emergency". The Israeli military command has decided for the "first time" that the position would be staffed by members of the Israeli military's reserve force and would not be constricted to regular staff.

A fragile structure

The Israeli media outlet highlighted the role of al-Qassam Brigade's elite forces, which stormed the colonial outpost and took control of it alongside several other Israeli military sites and bases, that surrounded the Gaza Strip. On October 7, the Palestinian Resistance brought to light the fragility of the Israeli occupation's presumed ability to secure the separation fence with the Gaza Strip. Adding to the frustrations of the Israeli military, the ground invasion of the Gaza Strip and the humiliation of several elite units have underlined structural challenges faced by the occupation's military command.

This includes apprehension of reservists to serve in critical roles, such as observation posts, as well as unreadiness of others to join in on the ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. In late December, the Israeli command called up reserve soldiers to form a new brigade for "protection tasks" around Gaza and the West Bank. However, the soldiers, lacking proper organization, equipment, and command chain, were later informed that they would be taking part in urban combat missions in the Gaza Strip. During inadequate training, soldiers faced serious equipment gaps and a lack of professionalism and resources, the Israeli Reshen Bet radio reported.