Israeli soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip (Picture: AFP)
Israel has jailed an 18-year-old teenager for refusing to enlist in the military during its ongoing war against Hamas.
Tal Mitnick is the latest Israeli citizen to object against the killing of thousands of people across Gaza, and he is willing to pay a price for it.
Already an activist opposing Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, he entered the Tel HaShomer enlistment centre in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, announcing his intention to refuse the country’s compulsory military service.
Mesarvot, a refuser support network to which Mr Mitnick is part of, published a video of him, making his views of the ‘criminal attack’ of Gaza clear.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Mr Mitnick says: ‘I am standing today in Tel HaShomer Base and I am refusing to enlist.
‘I believe that slaughter cannot solve slaughter. The criminal attack on Gaza won’t solve the atrocious slaughter that Hamas executed.
‘Violence won’t solve violence. And that is why I refuse.’
He was accompanied by a group of supporters who cheered him on as he walked into the base.
Follow Metro on WhatsApp to be the first to get all the latest news
Want to be the first to hear the world’s top stories? Metro.co.uk is now on WhatsApp sending vital updates and top trending stories straight to your phone.
Follow us to receive the latest news updates from Metro (Picture: Getty Images)
Join the Metro WhatsApp community now for breaking news, juicy showbiz stories and must-watch videos from across our website.
Simply click on this link and select ‘Join Chat’. Don’t forget to turn on notifications so you’ll always be the first to hear the latest!
Men recover the body of a victim killed in the aftermath of an overnight Israeli strike at al-Maghazi refugee camp on December 25, 2023 (Picture: AFP)
Palestinians are searching through building rubble for survivors (Picture: Shutterstock)
A Palestinian child is sitting amid destroyed buildings following Israeli strikes (Picture: Shutterstock)
Though not the first to oppose military conscription, Mr Mitnick is the very first to be sent to military prison during his country’s war with Hamas.
In a separate statement shared by the Jerusalem Post, the teenager said: ‘I refuse to believe that more violence will bring security, I refuse to take part in a war of revenge.’
Mr Mitnick also wrote that the lack of negotiation ability with Hamas was ‘simply untrue’ and also called for the need for diplomacy and political effort.
He has been sentenced to 30 days in jail, and could face repeated detention if he continues to object to service with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
It is reported that as many as 200 students who are supposed to be on their path to being drafted to the IDF announced in August that they will refuse their call-up.
This is not only because of the prime minister’s proposed judicial reform – which led to increasingly crippling protests in the summer – but also because of ‘the occupation’.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.