Israeli teen jailed for refusing to join army, protests Gaza genocide
In a powerful act of defiance, 18-year-old Israeli citizen Yuval Moav has been jailed for refusing to join the Israeli army.
He says the ongoing war on Gaza is a “genocide against civilians.”
Moav, who recently served a 30-day sentence, shared his determination to resist military enlistment as long as possible.
He says he refuses to be “an accomplice to genocide.
Moav believes Israel’s actions in Gaza, which have devastated the enclave and pushed Palestinians to starvation, are unjustifiable.
He says he stands in solidarity with Palestinians and urges others in Israel to refuse compulsory military service.
Despite his imprisonment, Moav remains committed to his stance, joining a small but vocal group within Israel opposing the military’s war.
Moav warns participating in the army now would be a lifelong stain on anyone’s conscience.
Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians since last October.
A report in July published in the British Medical Journal The Lancet estimated the number may actually be as high as 186,000.
The majority of the victims of Israel’s war on Gaza, 69%, have been women and children, according to data released by Gaza’s Government Media Office.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice.