The IDF has handed down severe punishments to the soldiers identified as the leaders of this week’s protest at the Sde Teiman military base, sentencing 14 members of the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion to 30 days in military prison and removing them from combat service.

The disciplinary action comes one day after dozens of soldiers and commanders staged a walkout from the base in protest, prompting a swift response from the military.

According to the IDF, the 14 soldiers deemed to have led the protest were each sentenced to 30 days in military prison. In addition to their jail terms, they will be permanently removed from combat duty and reassigned to non-combat roles.

Roughly 80 additional soldiers who left the base but later returned will not face imprisonment. Instead, they and their commanders will participate this Shabbos in a command-led educational and disciplinary program intended to reinforce military discipline, values, and the standards expected of IDF soldiers.

The investigation into the incident is still ongoing. Two additional soldiers identified as organizers of the protest reported overnight and will face disciplinary proceedings at a later date. Another soldier who has not yet appeared for his hearing will be dealt with separately once he reports.

The disciplinary hearings were conducted by Givati Brigade commander Col. Netanel Shamka.

The incident began Thursday when dozens of soldiers and officers from the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion walked out of the Sde Teiman base after leaving behind their weapons and absenting themselves without authorization.

According to reports, the protest was triggered by the battalion commander’s decision to destroy the battalion’s metal “pogim” plaques—symbols bearing the motivational slogans and traditions of the unit’s companies and platoons—which many of the soldiers viewed as an affront to the battalion’s identity and esprit de corps.