300 IDF medical reservists announce suspension of voluntary IDF reserve duty

Some 300 reservists in the Israel Defense Forces’ Medical Corps announce that they are suspending their voluntary reserve duty in protest of the government’s judicial overhaul.

At a press conference outside the Tel Hashomer military base in Ramat Gan, representatives of the doctors, paramedics and other medical staff present letters they will later give to the head of the IDF Medical Corps, Brig. Gen. Prof. Elon Glassberg, in which they say they will no longer show up for volunteer reserve duty.

אנשי רפואה מוסרים מכתבי אי התייצבות לקצין רפואה ראשית בבסיס תל השומר. מסרבים לשרת דיקטטורה! pic.twitter.com/X0GsEdZO2i

— ???? Idan Dorfman עידן דורפמן (@IdanDorfman) July 19, 2023

“This year I’m closing 30 years of combat service as a fighter and as a combat medic, but I will never serve an undemocratic regime. This is not how I wanted to end my military service, but the government forced this terrible decision on me,” Dr. Or Goren, the manager of the Ichilov Hospital’s operating room, is cited by the Haaretz daily as saying at the press conference.

In recent weeks, hundreds of IDF Medical Corps reservists have issued letters threatening to not show up for volunteer reserve duty in protest of the judicial overhaul.

The medical reservists’ letters officially suspending their service comes after over 160 Israeli Air Force reservists made a similar move last night.

Later today, an unknown number of reservists will also sign similar letters outside the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, announcing the suspension of their volunteer reserve duty, according to the large Brothers in Arms protest group.