As Israel presses forward with its largest military call-up in months, a new and striking phenomenon is taking shape across the country: a growing number of Israeli soldiers—and their mothers—are refusing to return to the front lines in Gaza. This surge of defiance, though still modest in scale, signals a deepening fatigue and division within Israeli society nearly two years after the war began with Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023.
According to reporting by the Associated Press and AP-Yonhap, the Israeli government called up 60,000 reservists in September 2025 for renewed operations in Gaza City. In a nation of fewer than 10 million people, where military service is mandatory for most Jewish men, that’s a massive mobilization. Yet, for the first time since the war’s outbreak, newly formed groups of soldiers and parents are publicly broadcasting their refusal to serve—despite the real risk of imprisonment.
“I couldn’t stop thinking of how to break his leg, break his arm, wound him in some way that he won’t be able to go back,” recounted Noorit Felsenthal-Berger, her voice trembling with emotion as she described her terror that her youngest son would be forced to return to Gaza. Felsenthal-Berger is one of nearly 1,000 mothers who have joined the group Save Our Souls (SOS), also known as Parents of Combat Soldiers Shout Enough. Their message is aimed squarely at Israel’s leaders: stop sending our children to a war they believe is being prolonged for political ends.
The SOS movement isn’t alone. Another group, Soldiers for Hostages, says it represents more than 360 soldiers who have refused to serve as of early September 2025. While the military does not release official figures on absences or refusals, both groups say their numbers are growing. It’s a far cry from the early days of the war, when reservists rushed to duty in the wake of the Hamas-led attack that killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw 251 abducted.
“Don’t put me in the position that I need to decide if I’m going to risk again my life,” said Avshalom Zohar Sal, a 28-year-old soldier and medic who has served multiple tours in Gaza. Sal described to AP reporters how soldiers are exhausted and demoralized, with some feeling like “sitting ducks” during repeated deployments. His doubts began last year while serving near the site where six hostages were killed by their captors as Israeli troops closed in. “I felt this was my fault,” he said, reflecting on the trauma and moral burden carried by frontline troops.
Fatigue and skepticism have only deepened as the war drags on. According to the Israeli army, more than 450 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ground invasion of Gaza began in 2023. Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports over 64,000 Palestinian deaths, about half of whom were women and children. The humanitarian catastrophe and ongoing blockade have drawn heavy international criticism, and Israelis are increasingly questioning the war’s purpose and cost.
Some mothers, like Yifat Gadot, have taken the extraordinary step of encouraging their sons to refuse orders. Gadot’s 22-year-old son served nine months in Gaza and told her that soldiers there felt exposed and vulnerable. “I told him, ‘We the mothers will do everything we can to get you out of Gaza and save you from this political war,’” she said. Others, like Felsenthal-Berger, say they respect their sons’ decisions but feel compelled to speak out. “We have to be their voice,” she insisted. The SOS group has staged protests, met with government officials, and published open letters—all in hopes of swaying public opinion and policy.
Refusing service is a serious offense in Israel, punishable by imprisonment. At least three soldiers associated with Soldiers for Hostages have already been jailed in 2025 for up to three weeks, according to the group. On May 16, relatives and supporters of Daniel Yahalom, an Israeli soldier imprisoned for his refusal, protested outside the Beit Lid military base, calling for an end to the war.
Still, the Israeli military maintains that “the contribution of the reservists is essential to the success of missions and to maintaining the security of the country.” Each case of absence or refusal, the army says, is evaluated on its merits. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the refusals or the mounting criticism.
Underlying the current wave of dissent is a broader shift in public mood. Support for the war was nearly unanimous after the horror of October 7, but sentiment has shifted, especially since the end of a ceasefire in March 2025 that had allowed for the release of some hostages. Israelis have joined mass protests, accusing Netanyahu of prolonging the war for political gain rather than negotiating a deal with Hamas to bring back the remaining 48 hostages—20 of whom are believed to be alive.
“Netanyahu’s ongoing war of aggression needlessly puts our own hostages in danger and has wreaked havoc on the fabric of Israeli society, while at the same time killing, maiming and starving an entire population,” said Max Kresch, a member of Soldiers for Hostages, at a September 2 news conference. The group’s stance is echoed by many former senior security officials, who fear that the latest offensive will achieve little and only endanger the hostages further.
The government’s failure to draft ultra-Orthodox men into the military is also fueling resentment. These exemptions, negotiated by powerful religious parties that are key to Netanyahu’s coalition, have long been a sore point. Now, after nearly two years of war, the anger has only intensified—especially among reservists who have served multiple tours away from families and careers.
A recent poll by the Israel Democracy Institute, conducted in late August 2025, found that around two-thirds of Israelis—including about 60% of Israeli Jews—support a deal that would see all hostages released, hostilities ended, and Israeli forces withdrawn from Gaza. Hamas has signaled it would accept such terms, but Netanyahu has refused, insisting the war will continue until all hostages are returned and Hamas is disarmed, with Israel maintaining security control over the territory.
Analysts warn that the mounting divisions could have long-term consequences. Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, noted that pushing soldiers in a deeply divided country to keep fighting risks undermining Israel’s military capabilities. Many believe that political turmoil and mass protests over a planned judicial overhaul in 2023—along with threats from soldiers not to serve—may have weakened the country ahead of the October 7 attack. Yet, for many Israelis, refusing military service remains a profound taboo. “The military, and serving in it, is still sacrosanct,” Zonszein said.
As the war grinds on with no clear end in sight, the voices of dissent—once a whisper—are growing louder. Whether they will reshape Israeli policy or simply add to the national soul-searching remains to be seen. For now, the tension between duty, doubt, and dissent is testing the very fabric of Israeli society.