Dozens of Israelis protest in support of a soldier imprisoned for refusing to fight in Gaza
by Naharnet Newsdesk 16 May 2025, 15:35
Protesters expressed Friday support for Daniel Yahalom, a reserve soldier who is serving five days in prison for refusing to participate in what he called an unjust fight.
He's part of a small but growing number of Israelis who are refusing to show up for service as the war drags on and Israel intensifies its operations in Gaza.
The Israeli military confirmed Yahalom was going to prison and said he was not the first to receive a prison sentence for refusing to serve during the current Israel-Hamas war.
'This boy always cares about others even before himself ... He cares about the suffering of our brothers who are dying underground, and he is willing to pay the price,' said his mother Haya Yahalom.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LBCI
8 hours ago
- LBCI
Israel Hayom cites sources: Israel, US reportedly agree to end UNIFIL mission in South Lebanon
According to sources cited by Israel Hayom, Israel believes that coordination with the Lebanese Army is so effective that it renders the presence of UNIFIL unnecessary. The same sources stated that the United States and Israel have decided to end the UNIFIL mission in South Lebanon.
Ya Libnan
12 hours ago
- Ya Libnan
Lebanon FM stresses to Iranian counterpart the need to disarm Hezbollah
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji informed his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Tuesday that Hezbollah put his country in a 'difficult situation' when it embarked on more than a year of fighting with Israel in 2023, and stressed the importance of disarming the Tehran-backed terror group. Araghchi met with Raji — a member of the Lebanese Forces party — in Beirut, on his first visit to Lebanon since October last year, when Hezbollah was in the midst of an all-out war with Israel in southern Lebanon. A month later, Beirut and Jerusalem would sign a ceasefire agreement that brought an end to the fighting During the meeting, Raji told Araghchi that recent 'military adventures' — an apparent reference to Hezbollah — had put the country in a 'difficult situation,' the Saudi Al Arabiya news outlet reported. These adventures, Raji told his Iranian counterpart, 'had not contributed to ending the Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory.' When Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon following the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces per the terms of the November 2024 ceasefire, it left troops stationed in five strategic hills located several hundred meters inside Lebanon, which it says are necessary to defend Israeli border communities. Six months on from the start of the ceasefire, the Lebanese state has been working methodically to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure in the south of the country, and is estimated to have seized the majority of the group's weapons stockpile south of the Litani River area. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that his government had achieved 80 percent of its objectives regarding the disarmament of militias in the country's south. 'All over the Lebanese territory, the state should have a monopoly on arms,' Salam told the US outlet, stressing 'the need to extend and consolidate the authority of the state.' Echoing his prime minister on Tuesday, Raji appeared to take a firm stance against allowing Iran's agenda to influence Lebanon's future, telling Araghchi that the country's ability to recover from the recent fighting was tied to Hezbollah's disarmament, Al Arabiya reported. Unprovoked, Hezbollah began attacking military outposts and communities in northern Israel on October 8, 2023, in a show of support for fellow Iranian proxy Hamas in Gaza after its assault on southern Israel a day earlier. The fighting continued for more than a year, including some two months of open war in southern Lebanon, and ended with the ceasefire signed in late November. The fighting displaced over 1 million people inside Lebanon, and caused destruction that the World Bank has said will cost $11 billion in reconstruction. Raji informed Araghchi that 'coordination between Lebanon and Iran should occur through official state channels,' rather than via proxies like Hezbollah, which enjoys Tehran's support, monetary and otherwise, having received billions of dollars and all types of weapons over the years.
LBCI
13 hours ago
- LBCI
Sensitive Israeli documents obtained by Iran to be unveiled soon: Minister
Sensitive Israeli documents obtained by Tehran should be unveiled soon, Minister of Intelligence Esmail Khatib told state TV on Sunday, describing them as a "treasure trove" which will strengthen Iran's offensive capabilities. Iranian state media reported on Saturday that Iranian intelligence agencies had obtained a large trove of sensitive Israeli documents. Khatib said these were related to Israel's nuclear facilities and its relations with the United States, Europe and other countries, and to its defensive capabilities. There was no immediate official comment from Israel. It was not clear whether the information breach was linked to a reported hacking, opens new tab of an Israeli nuclear research center last year which Tehran is only disclosing now amid heightened tensions over its nuclear program. "The transfer of this treasure trove was time-consuming and required security measures. Naturally, the transfer methods will remain confidential but the documents should be unveiled soon," Khatib said, adding that in terms of volume, "talking of thousands of documents would be an understatement." In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli agents had seized a huge "archive" of Iranian documents that showed Tehran had done more nuclear work than previously known. Reuters
