Israeli Reservists Detail Reasons for Refusal to Serve in Gaza

Every member of his military unit knew someone who had been killed. Yuval Green, 26, a reservist medic in the Israel Defence Forces’ paratroops, was aware of at least three fatalities when initial reports of the 7 October Hamas attack emerged. He stated, “Israel is a small country. Everyone knows each other.” Over several days of violence, 1,200 individuals were killed, and 251 were abducted into Gaza. Currently, 97 hostages remain in Gaza, with approximately half believed to be alive. Yuval promptly responded to his nation’s call to arms, viewing it as a mission to protect Israelis. He recounted the horror of entering devastated Jewish communities near the Gaza border, describing, “You’re seeing… dead bodies on the streets, seeing cars punctured by bullets.” At that time, there was no hesitation about reporting for duty. The nation was under assault, and the hostages needed to be brought home. Subsequently, the conflict moved into Gaza itself, revealing sights that could not be forgotten, such as the night he observed cats consuming human remains in the road. He described the scene: “Start to imagine, like an apocalypse. You look to your right, you look to your left, all you see is destroyed buildings, buildings that are damaged by fire, by missiles, everything. That’s Gaza right now.” One year later, the same young man who reported for duty on 7