Soldiers who deserted base en masse were told to return by 4 p.m. or face punishment

After dozens of troops of the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion abandoned their base in southern Israel, their commander told them to return by 4 p.m. or face punishment.

“At exactly 16:00, there will be a check in the company to see who has remained/returned. Anyone who has not returned by 16:00 will be immediately classified as AWOL,” a message to the troops read, warning them that the names of those missing will be sent to the Military Police.

The IDF said earlier that the troops deserted the Sde Teiman base, leaving behind their weapons, without the approval of their superiors after the battalion commander decided to take down and destroy signs they had put up that supposedly humiliated rookie soldiers in the unit, according to the army.

A senior IDF official says that “all the soldiers in the battalion, from the battalion commander down to the last soldier, fought in the war and risked their lives in every combat sector.”

“At the same time, this is a serious disciplinary incident that has no place in the IDF,” the officer says. “Just like combat incidents, this incident too will be handled by the commanders with love and respect for the soldiers, while at the same time setting high and uncompromising standards.”