Givati soldiers punished to 30 days in military prison after mass walkout at Sde Teiman base

ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, AMIR BOHBOTJULY 31, 2026 13:02Updated: JULY 31, 2026 14:07The 14 members of the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion who led the mass walkout on the Sde Teiman military base on Thursday were sentenced on Friday to 30 days in military prison and removal from combat service, according to the military. The roughly 80 other soldiers who took part in the walkout have since returned to the base and will remain there over the weekend to undergo an "educational process to strengthen the discipline, values, and norms expected of IDF combat soldiers," the IDF said.According to soldiers in the brigade, senior commanders decided to destroy and remove insignias that had been displayed in the battalion’s companies, with the battalion commander reportedly insisting that the insignias be removed despite opposition from the soldiers.These insignias were actually memorials to fallen soldiers, the battalion members told KAN News' Itay Blumenthal. The IDF, however, made no mention of memorials. “One of the commanders used a five-kilogram hammer to destroy one of the insignias,” one of the people serving in the unit told Walla.Israeli soldiers are seen outside the Sde Teiman military base near Beersheba, southern Israel, July 30, 2026. (credit: Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90)Soldiers return to base under threat of severe disciplinary actionAfter the soldiers departed, battalion commanders contacted them through a WhatsApp group that also included their parents. The commanders said that anyone who returned by 4 p.m. would not face severe punishment.Givati soldiers told their parents that videos showing commanders destroying the insignias with a hammer had prompted the insubordination.“What pushed the soldiers over the edge were the videos. Seeing how their insignias were being destroyed with a hammer. It was humiliating. Damage to everything they have been through in recent years. Without understanding, but this is serious harm.”Givati Brigade had just returned from prolonged combat in southern LebanonThe Givati Brigade recently completed a prolonged and complex period of combat in southern Lebanon, achieving significant operational successes, including the capture of the Beaufort Ridge, Bint Jbeil, and other locations. Sources said that some of the soldiers have since been more emotional and prone to outbreaks.The troops are preparing for redeployment to the Yellow Line in Gaza.The brigade’s soldiers were selected for some of the most challenging missions and received praise from the IDF General Staff. The IDF Operations Directorate subsequently decided to rotate the forces, sending some soldiers for training and assigning others to operations in different arenas.Follow us on Google