IDF Officers refusing to Serve

[RandomWordsThrownTogether]

A group of 41 IDF officers and reservists signed a letter to Netanyahu, the defence minister, Israel Katz, and the head of the military to say that they will no longer take part in the war saying that the Israeli government was waging an “unnecessary, eternal war” in Gaza. They believe that the orders they are being given are illegal and put civilians and hostages in harms way. They say many hostages have been killed by IDF bombs. They urge other soldiers to follow their lead and refuse to take part.

“Addressing the impact of the offensive on civilians in the territory, the group wrote: “When a government acts for ulterior motives, harms civilians and leads to the killing of innocent people, the orders it issues are clearly illegal, and we must not obey them.””

“The group, which is understood to include members of the elite military surveillance division Unit 8200, claimed that “many hostages have already been killed by IDF bombings” and accused the government of continuing to “abandon their lives”.”

One officer said:
“I felt that it was immoral and insanely excessive. I felt that they stopped thinking and feeling, and they were willing to do everything to achieve a goal that wasn’t really a real goal … and if there is a goal, it’s to try to get rid of Gaza’s population by any means.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/11/israeli-government-orders-must-not-be-obeyed-idf-intelligence-officers

The letter:

https://x.com/soldiers_ltr/status/1932477058422067665?s=46&t=vcn5i-CzeemsLu6K-YHqug

Good on them!

It's a sad state of affairs that this is not a mainstream position!

That this a letter from IDF intelligence directorate is particularly interesting as these people, you would expect, have a higher level understanding of the situation in Gaza.

There are posters on this board that continue to insist that it was Hamas that was responsible for ceasefires not been agreed or collapsing, whilst it was clear that the situation was not one-sided. It’s good to see the letter acknowledge this:

“The intelligence officers said Netanyahu’s government had given a “death sentence” to the Israeli hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza when it “chose to collapse” the ceasefire deal in March.”

One officer noted:
“They added: “All the death is unnecessary. The hostages suffer and die. Soldiers are sent for nothing. And all the killing in Gaza, everything is completely unnecessary.”

I hope they give evidence in the case against Israel for plausible genocide at the ICJ.

Very brave, too I can imagine some accusing them of being traitors, flinching during an active war before its stated objective of totally destroying Hamas is achieved. But the reality is, to do that, you'd have to completely destroy Gaza and its two million inhabitants as well. They won’t have said these things lightly, and we can be sure they’re far better informed than any of us here. "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing" - they are saying enough is enough.

The proportion of reservists who are not turning up to duty is also increasing, with Kan - the Israeli national broadcaster- suggesting about 60% who turn up.

An IDF reservist Captain was imprisoned for 20 days after refusing to serve. He had already served 270 days!

“I am shocked by the never-ending war in Gaza, the abandonment of the hostages and the relentless death of innocents,” Finer was quoted by Walla news as saying upon entering the facility. “I am morally unable to continue to serve as long as there is no change. Prison will not silence me, nor will it intimidate me — neither me nor my comrades.”

Netanyahu has got the soldiers fighting endless multiple wars but his soldiers appear to be saying “no!” And it appears to be no for political reasons- as it was for this captain.

Again the difference between the pro-Israeli posters defending the war and minimising the death of innocents really does strike a discord with those who have actually been putting their lives at risk and have themselves witnessed the impact in Palestinians.

www.timesofisrael.com/idf-reservist-sentenced-to-20-days-in-jail-for-refusing-to-serve-in-gaza/amp/

Yes, and not only Gazans and hostages dying but the soldiers themselves are dying. This is not a cause they want to die for because they know it's completely backwards.

Ehud Olmert, the former Israeli Prime Minister, is doubling down on his blistering criticism of the war. As he explicitly states, he's drawing on intelligence and deep connections within the military and intelligence communities

https://archive.ph/m3Xb5#selection-1231.0-1257.461

Ehud Olmert on Israel’s Catastrophic War in Gaza
June 11, 2025

In your essay in Haaretz, you wrote, “What we are doing in Gaza now is a war of devastation: indiscriminate, limitless, cruel and criminal killing of civilians.” That’s not how you initially saw it. Walk me through what, in your view, changed.

Obviously when it started, right after the 7th of October, Israel was in a state of shock. Well over a thousand Israelis were massacred and butchered and beheaded and raped in their living rooms, in their safe rooms, in bedrooms, with their pajamas — children, elderly people, mothers. It couldn’t remain without a very robust military reaction.
It lasted for much longer than I thought it should in the first place. I already called for the end of the war perhaps a year ago.

Certainly, more or less around March this year, the consensus within Israel, shared by very important people with a military background — the commanders of the I.D.F., of the commanders of Mossad, the commanders of the Secret Service, not just the average person in the field but people that are well trained and experienced in judging the military options — they all say: The war should stop now. End the war and bring back all the hostages.

And the general attitude in Israel now is that the war continues not because it serves any purpose which justifies it, not because it’s going to save the hostages, which are still kept by Hamas. On the contrary, it probably risks their lives for a war that is called, by the serious observers in Israel, a personal war for the sake of the political survivability of Netanyahu. This is a state of crime, and this is not something that is tolerable or acceptable.

Good on them.

I’ve just read that the UK are training IDF soldiers which is unbelievable.

I think you'll find nobody wants the war to end more than the 'pro-Israeli posters' as you call them and they have many times condemned the death of innocents on here.

The difference is that I don’t think that the objectors are defending how the war is and has been conducted recently - which you see happening by some on this board.

There are posters who do regret the killing of innocent people but feel it has been justified to fulfil Israeli objectives. These conscious objectors are raising the concern that the killing is no longer defendable. Big difference.

There have been quite a few young people over the last year and a half in Israel who have been imprisoned for refusing to serve too! Amazing young people, must be terrifying being sent to prison for standing up for human rights.

I really admire them. It’s hard to change your mind and go against the status quo like this, I’m sure they risk being shunned by members of their communities.

Also really admire young people refusing to do military service. I couldn’t think of anything worse myself but it takes some courage to stand by your principles especially at a young age.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/israel-hamas-refusenik-1.7485238

Brave and courageous, good on them.

Wow - so even IDF officers are now part of the worldwide antisemitic conspiracy?

Good. They are very brave

I agree. Seems to be an issue once men in power reach about 70 and start problems and expect younger generations to step up and it’s not right .

Excellent news and quite shocking what was said in terms if their reasons.
We’ve read it ourselves of course but shocking to hear the IDF admit to what we all know is going on.

Good on them for speaking up. Hopefully more will follow suit and stop serving.