The IDF spokesperson said Thursday afternoon that several soldiers from a combat battalion began leaving their base without authorization, after the battalion commander removed signs linked to a non-normative unit tradition called 'Young and Old'. The military said the incident is under investigation and does not align with IDF values.
The IDF confirmed Thursday afternoon that soldiers from the Givati Brigade's Tzabar battalion left the Sde Teiman base without authorization after their battalion commander ordered the removal of signs related to a unit tradition referred to as "Young and Old." The military stated the incident is under investigation and does not align with IDF values.
The confirmation followed a series of reports that began at 13:30 Jerusalem, when unverified accounts claimed over 100 soldiers and commanders had abandoned their weapons and gone AWOL. Subsequent reports, also at 13:30, identified the battalion and described the catalyst: the battalion commander had destroyed metal morale plaques, with a soldier telling Walla that a commander used a five-kilogram sledgehammer to break one of the unit's symbols. Brigade commanders were reported to be intervening to return the soldiers. The IDF's official statement came later in the afternoon, confirming the unauthorized departure and the investigation.
The incident occurs amid broader attention to discipline within the IDF. As The Zioneer reported on July 29, the military was drafting a new discipline document in response to ethical problems in the field. Earlier, on June 22, The Zioneer reported on growing criticism among troops over operational restrictions.
The specific details of the "Young and Old" tradition remain undisclosed by the military, and the number of soldiers involved and any disciplinary measures have not been announced.
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