‘Red lines were crossed’: Israeli reservist sentenced to prison for refusing Gaza service

An Israeli army reservist has been sentenced to 20 days in military prison for refusing to take part in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, saying that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has sabotaged ceasefire and hostage deal, which marked a moral breaking point.

Ron Feiner, a 26-year-old student from Haifa and former company commander in the Nahal Brigade, had already completed 270 days of reserve duty since 7 October. Despite suffering injuries and leading evacuations under fire, Feiner declared: “The right thing for me to do is to refuse to report.”

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Feiner’s sentence follows that of Daniel Yahalom, a 32-year-old reservist who also refused military service after 230 days of duty. Yahalom received five days in prison. Feiner, who did not report to base at all, was penalised more severely under military absenteeism regulations.

Feiner’s refusal stems from what he describes as “red lines” crossed by the Israeli government, particularly during the most recent ceasefire negotiations. “Israel intentionally decided to violate the deal before the second stage, which was supposed to bring all of the hostages back and an end to the war,” he told Haaretz.

Feiner told his battalion commander during trial proceedings: “ As a citizen, I believe that we need to be active in the face of reality, and to imagine a better world… the correct path is a deal that saves and brings back all of the hostages, and the right thing for me to do to make that happen is to no longer participate in the war.”

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His commander, dismissing the moral grounds, declared the act “a serious crime,” sentencing him to 20 days’ imprisonment.

Social justice group Standing Together condemned the prison sentence, calling it “political persecution of people who oppose the war.” They added: “As a reserves officer who served in Lebanon during the war, whose soldiers were killed during the war, he knows its terrible cost. Now, he has been sent to prison because of his fight against it.”

The movement warned that Feiner’s punishment was part of a broader attempt to suppress dissent. “This is what an act by a desperate government – afraid of the public that demands it to stop the war and rescue the hostages – looks like. Ron is not alone.”