Israeli Officer Jailed for Refusing Gaza War Service as Opposition to War Grows

Watan-An Israeli military court on Sunday sentenced Reserve Captain Ron Feiner to 25 days in prison for refusing to report for reserve duty, citing his opposition to the ongoing war on Gaza, which has lasted for more than 20 months.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the officer had already completed 270 days of reserve duty since the war began in October 2023. Just last week, Feiner was initially sentenced to 20 days but was released after less than 24 hours due to a procedural error, prompting a retrial.

Feiner is known as a prominent activist calling for the return of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, even at the cost of halting the war.

of April 22, around 143,000 Israelis had signed petitions demanding a hostage deal in exchange for ending the war, according to the advocacy site “Return Israel.” Currently, Israel estimates that 56 hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 alive, while over 10,400 Palestinians languish in Israeli prisons under conditions of torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to human rights reports.

The activist group “Soldiers for the Hostages” supported Feiner in a statement to Yedioth Ahronoth, saying:“With the growing risk to the hostages due to military pressure, refusing to participate in the war is a logical and moral stance.”

This is not the first case of prosecution for Gaza war dissent. On May 29, two soldiers from the Nahal Brigade were sentenced for refusing to fight in Gaza.

In early May, the Israeli army issued tens of thousands of draft orders for reservists to escalate what many are calling a genocidal war in Gaza, as reported by Israeli outlets including Yedioth Ahronoth.

PTSD Among Israeli Troops Rises as Netanyahu Rejects Ceasefire Deal

A Tel Aviv University study in the same month revealed that around 12% of reservists who served in Gaza suffer from severe PTSD, making them unfit to return to duty, according to Haaretz.

Meanwhile, Hamas has reiterated its willingness to release all Israeli captives in exchange for a permanent ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—wanted by the International Criminal Court—insists on continuing the occupation and disarmament of Palestinian factions, a stance rejected by Hamas.

Israeli opposition figures and hostage families accuse Netanyahu of prolonging the war to satisfy the far-right bloc in his coalition and cling to power.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with full U.S. backing, has waged a war widely described as genocide, killing and wounding more than 180,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, with over 11,000 missing and hundreds of thousands displaced.