The IDF will require soldiers from the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion to participate in a combat processing program following last week’s mass walkout from the Sde Teiman military base, as commanders seek to ease tensions within the unit.

The decision was made by Brig. Gen. Sagiv Cohen, commander of the IDF’s 162nd Division, after hundreds of Givati soldiers left the base during a dispute with senior commanders.

The program will include discussions with organizational consultants and mental health officers, giving soldiers an opportunity to process their combat experiences. The IDF also plans to identify troops who may require additional individual support or treatment.

According to soldiers in the battalion, tensions remain high after the IDF imposed disciplinary measures on those involved in the incident, including removing some soldiers from combat duty and revoking their combat service certificates, which provide veterans with various post-service benefits.

The walkout reportedly began after senior commanders ordered the removal and destruction of unit insignias displayed by the battalion’s companies. Soldiers said the move sparked a confrontation with commanders, culminating in hundreds of troops leaving the base.

The IDF sentenced 14 soldiers identified as the organizers of the walkout to 30 days in military prison and removed them from combat service. Two additional soldiers are expected to face disciplinary proceedings, while another has yet to report. More than 80 other soldiers who left the base but later returned received lighter disciplinary measures.

It remains unclear whether the battalion’s soldiers will be allowed to return home before beginning the combat processing program.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)