Tensions rise in Givati unit after religious soldiers refuse mission involving female medic

Religious soldiers within the IDF's Givati Brigade's Rotem Battalion have refused to participate in an operational mission in the Gaza Strip due to the presence of a female paramedic. The soldiers were ordered to board a Namer armored personnel carrier that included the paramedic, leading to the refusal and sparking concerns about wider tensions with yeshiva student units.

This incident follows another disagreement approximately a week and a half prior. In that instance, the company commander decided to hold a Saturday drill simulating the evacuation of wounded soldiers, including the insertion of an IV. Soldiers argued that there was no operational necessity for the exercise and that conducting it on the Sabbath would violate religious law. They contacted a military rabbi who, according to them, ruled that the drill should not have taken place on Saturday.

The current dispute resurfaced this week when the company planned an operational patrol using a Merkava tank and a Namer armored personnel carrier. The medical team, including the female paramedic, was required to join the Namer along with the command post and three other soldiers. Soldiers claimed this was not an emergency or life-saving operation. A source familiar with the incident stated that due to the cramped conditions inside the Namer, a religious soldier would have difficulty avoiding physical contact with a female soldier.

Before refusing the mission, the soldiers attempted to contact the Givati Brigade rabbi. Receiving no response, they contacted their yeshiva rabbi and two additional yeshiva heads. According to the soldiers, these rabbis advised them that they were prohibited from carrying out the mission in its planned format, citing existing agreements with the Military Rabbinate and the head of the Personnel Directorate. Sources familiar with the situation warned that the way these incidents are handled could lead to a broader crisis involving yeshiva student units in the IDF, with one source stating, “We are on a collision course and heading toward an explosion.”

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We are on a collision course and heading toward an explosion.