The refusal of 16 soldiers from the Givati ​​Brigade to carry out an operational mission in the Gaza Strip, accompanied by a military medic, opened a new confrontation inside Israel between the political level and the army leadership, after the Minister of Finance and Minister in the Ministry of Defense, Bezalel Smotrich, announced his support for the soldiers, pledging to intervene and demand answers, while Gadi Eisenkot attacked him, accusing him of encouraging disobedience and harming the Israeli army.

According to a report by journalists Amir Ettinger and Yuval Karni on the Israeli “Ynet” website, Smotrich announced, on Monday morning, his support for 16 soldiers from the “Rotem” battalion of the Givati ​​Brigade, after they were sentenced to imprisonment after they refused to go out on an operational patrol on board an armored personnel carrier in Gaza, when they learned that a female medic would join them.

Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionism party, wrote: “I support the soldiers who insisted on their right and duty to serve in the Israeli army while preserving their values ​​and faith, and adhering to appropriate integration orders.”

The Rotem battalion also includes students from military religious schools, and Smotrich announced that he would intervene in the case, saying that the soldiers “have the full support of the rabbis and directors of the Union of Religious Schools, who have studied the issue in depth and with the required caution and stand behind the decision.”

5 of the soldiers who led the rejectionist position were sentenced to 10 days in prison, while 11 other soldiers were sentenced to 5 days in prison.

“I prayed and hoped with all my might that the IDF would reconsider the matter and prevent the need for my intervention,” Smotrich said, “but since that did not happen, I as a leader of religious Zionism cannot stand idly by, and I will demand answers from the IDF.”

He added: “It is very unfortunate that there are those within the Israeli army who choose, as a result of miscalculation, to enter into a direct confrontation with the most serving and generous public, in a way that will only produce harm and will harm the public’s confidence in the army.”

The head of the Yashar party responded. Gadi Eisenkot said on the “X” platform, saying: “This is not the first time that Smotrich has called for rejecting orders.”

He added: “A minister in the Ministry of Defense pushed for evasion during the war, and he is still constantly investing in dismantling the Israeli army and is working with determination to harm the leadership, the army’s values, and the public’s confidence in it. This is chaos.”

Eisenkot continued: “There is a deep gap between Smotrich and the values ​​of the sons and daughters of religious Zionism, who serve with dedication and love the people and the country.”

The report pointed out that this is not the first time that Smotrich has announced his support for refusal to serve against a similar background, as in 2017, when he was a member of the Knesset, he published an article on the “Srugim” website entitled: “We save the Israeli army – we do not recruit.”

He wrote at the time that the way to stop what he considered to be the pressure exerted by “gender organizations” on the army was to “create counter-pressure,” adding that “religious youth will bypass conscription cycles until they are allowed to serve under appropriate conditions.”

The Israeli army announced, shortly before midnight on Sunday, that 2 out of 5 soldiers who were sentenced to 10 days in prison would undergo an evaluation committee before returning to combat.

The battalion commander tried the soldiers and determined the punishments according to the degree of involvement of each of them in the incident.

The soldiers’ refusal led to the cancellation of the military operation that was scheduled to be carried out.

According to the Israeli army, the force commanders agreed to carry out the mission, while the soldiers were the only ones who refused to leave because the paramedic joined them.

In an attempt to change their position, the company commander held a discussion with them, during which he explained the importance and urgent nature of the mission. The brigade’s rabbi also allowed them to participate in it.

However, the soldiers stuck to their position and refused to carry out the order.

The report quoted a soldier in the parallel “Tomer” company, which includes Haredi soldiers, as saying: “These are young and new soldiers in the battalion, and they do not yet know how things work.”

He added: “During training everything is separate and specific, and when they arrive at the battalion they are confronted with this reality. Unfortunately, they will now pay the price for that as well.”

Between military sanctions for rejecting an operational order and declared political support for soldiers, the issue moved from an internal dispute in the Givati ​​Battalion to a broader confrontation over the limits of politicians’ interference in army decisions, and the nature of the balance between military orders and religious considerations within its ranks.