Overview

• New groups led by soldiers and mothers are publicly urging refusals to return to Gaza as Israel orders its largest reservist mobilization in months.
• Soldiers for Hostages says it represents more than 360 refusing troops, while Save Our Souls counts nearly 1,000 participating mothers.
• Refusal can carry jail time, and at least three soldiers linked to the movement have been imprisoned this year, though the military reports no apparent impact on operations.
• An Israel Democracy Institute poll found about two-thirds of Israelis support a deal to free all hostages in exchange for a cease-fire and full withdrawal from Gaza, with 48 hostages still held and roughly 20 believed alive.
• Mounting casualties and resentment over ultra-Orthodox draft exemptions are fueling the backlash, as critics accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pursuing a politically driven offensive; his office declined comment.