Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael SecurityAs a result, the operation was canceled, the IDF said. Smotrich backed the troops, saying he would demand answers from the army, prompting former IDF chief Eisenkot to accuse him of calling for refusal to serveShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeYaniv Kubovich01:57 PM • August 31 2026 IDTThe Israeli army announced late Sunday that 16 male soldiers from the Givati Brigade have been sentenced to prison after refusing to participate in operational activity in Gaza with a female soldier present.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Orthodox JewsIDFWomen's rightsBezalel SmotrichCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesE1 West BankChief RabbiBritish AcitivistEl-Sayed NetanyahuNBC CrewRoger WatersPollHaQuizHaaretz PodcastIDF: 16 Male Soldiers to Be Jailed for Refusing to Work With Female SoldierGefilte Fish Has Never Been Hotter: This Tiny Tel Aviv Eatery Is a Groyse MetsieSpain's Sanchez: Israel Amplified Disinformation Over Ceuta Migrant CrisisIDF Soldiers Guard West Bank Settler Raid, Shoot Four Palestinians, Reports SayFor Israeli Vets With PTSD, Soccer Is a Friendly Game AgainRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIHasan Piker Talks Hamas, anti-Zionism and Why Americans Are Fed Up With Israel'Israel Is Sending Militias to Commit War Crimes – and I Have to Protect Them'Israeli Court Acquits Man of Assaulting Nun in Jerusalem's Old CityPoll: Likud Sinks to 19 Seats as New Right-wing Party Falls Below ThresholdJewish Space Lasers? Israel Wants 'Rods From God'Ben-Gvir's Ambush Shook Netanyahu – and Unleashed a War for Right-wing Votes