JERUSALEM

At least 15 Israeli soldiers refused to return to join the war on Gaza, Israeli media reported on Friday.

Israeli Channel 12 said 15 soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade, who ended their service this week in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, rejected a summon for them to return to join the army in Gaza.

Earlier, the Israeli army said its 98th division had completed its divisional operation in the Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah area after one month.

The channel added that after the completion of operations, the soldiers usually leave their units.

The Israeli government on Friday extended the mandatory military service of 350,000 reservists for another four months until the end of 2024.

In October 2023, the Israeli government called up more than 350,000 reservists to participate in its deadly war on Gaza. Since then, the call-up order has been extended several times.

Israel has continued its offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 40,600 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,800 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar

​​​​​​​