Tel Aviv: An Israeli military court has sentenced two soldiers from the Nahal Brigade to prison terms for their refusal to participate in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

According to Anadolu Agency: Despite the commitment from the Israeli army not to imprison soldiers, the two soldiers who have been involved in operations in Gaza for the past 18 months were brought to trial for their refusal to return to the region, citing exhaustion. The court sentenced them to 15 and 20 days in prison.

The broadcaster KAN reported that the soldiers, who enlisted in August 2022, had expressed severe fatigue to their battalion commander after a prolonged period of operations. This case is part of a larger trend, as earlier this month, a group of 11 infantry soldiers also requested to be excused from deployment to Gaza due to exhaustion, facing potential imprisonment for refusal.

This incident is not isolated. In May, reserve call-up orders were issued by the Israeli army in preparation for an intensified campaign in Gaza, reported by various Israeli media sources, including Yedioth Ahronoth. The same month, research from Tel Aviv University highlighted that 12% of reserve soldiers involved in the Gaza conflict suffer from severe PTSD, impacting their ability to return to service, as noted by Haaretz.

The ongoing offensive by the Israeli army, which began in October 2023, has been marked by significant casualties, with over 54,000 Palestinians reported killed, most of them women and children. Despite international calls for a ceasefire, the military campaign continues.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Additionally, Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice regarding its actions against civilians in the enclave.