Israeli troops refusing to follow commands for Rafah ground invasion
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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.
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Israeli troops are seen near the separation line with Gaza Strip, in southern Palestine, Wednesday, March 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Israeli news broadcaster Channel 12 on Sunday 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.
Days ago, Channel 7 reported that over a hundred female draftees refused to serve as surveillance soldiers near the separation line with Gaza. Israeli news reports said this was the third draft since October 7 to observe a significant number of refusals to serve in the unit.
Read more: An Israeli invasion of Rafah would mean a new Nakba: Abbas
Earlier this week, Israel Ziv, the former head of the IOF's Operations Directorate, expressed rejection to any military offensive in Rafah amid the absence of a post-operation governance plan.
He claimed that Hamas was working on a strategic ambush for the IOF which would constitute a "disaster for Israel," noting that the Rafah invasion poses a high risk, one higher than everything the IOF did in Gaza, given the fact that Rafah is a very crowded place and difficult to fight in, as well as the US and Egypt's sensitivity toward it.
Ziv considered the operation "to have a higher risk than anything the army has done in the Strip, given that Rafah is an extremely difficult and crowded place for combat, in addition to Egyptian and US sensitivities towards it."
Read more: Internal US memo suggests 'Israel' violating int'l law: Reuters
Earlier this month, Netanyahu claimed that a date for the Rafah aggression had been set, but Security Minister Yoav Gallant later debunked these statements during a visit to Washington, Axios said in a report.
US President Joe Biden's administration has issued multiple calls for the occupation entity to defer a ground offensive in Rafah, unless it presents a feasible plan to evacuate civilians, as "Israel's" global image continues to be tarnished by its ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the regime continues to be engulfed by weekly protests led by the families of captives in Gaza.
While the Qatari-mediated negotiations seem to have reached a stall, questions are still being raised over "Israel's" inability to reach its goals.
An op-ed published by the Israeli newspaper Maariv earlier this month detailed that "Israel should declare the end of the war because it truly lost."
