Reservist Yotam Vilk volunteered to fight after the Hamas attacks of October 7. After months of combat, he has now joined dozens of others in signing a letter refusing to serve again.
When Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year, reservist Yotam Vilk wasn’t called up for military service – he volunteered to go and fight. Since then, he has spent more than 230 days serving with the Israeli military in Gaza. It has affected every part of his life. And now, he is refusing to serve again.
Another 28-year-old reservist, who asked to remain anonymous because he didn’t want the families of soldiers who died to feel betrayed by his decision to refuse, served in Gaza for over 130 days. He felt the weight of the anniversary as well. “The military pressure has been overwhelming for a bit more than a year now, and I don’t think any more military action is going to change the situation,” he told CNN.
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