Captain (res.) Ron Feiner, a 26-year-old platoon commander from Haifa, has been sentenced to 20 days in military prison after refusing to return to reserve duty following 270 days of service since October 7, according to Israeli NGO Soldiers for the Hostages.
Feiner, who served in Battalion 8207 of the Northern Nahal Brigade, cited moral objections related to the ongoing Gaza war and the government’s handling of hostage rescue efforts as reasons for his refusal. His sentence is the harshest given so far for a reservist refusing to serve in the current conflict.
Previously, Daniel Yahalom, another reservist from Haifa, was sentenced to five days for similar reasons. Feiner’s punishment marks an unprecedented penalty for a combat officer with extensive frontline experience, including deployments in Lebanon and the northern front.
Feiner, a student of philosophy, economics, and political science at the University of Haifa, and a youth mentor, said he decided to refuse service after concluding that the government had deprioritized freeing hostages in favor of continuing military operations in Gaza.
'Driven by the same values that led me to serve'
In a statement following his sentencing, Feiner said, “I’m driven by the same values that led me to serve and fight—I love this country and feel my future here slipping through my fingers. When the government declares that the hostages are at the bottom of its priorities… I can no longer convince my soldiers to show up.”
He added, “I’m horrified by the never-ending war in Gaza, the abandonment of the hostages, and the ongoing deaths of innocent people. I cannot morally continue to serve as long as this doesn’t change.”
The Soldiers for the Hostages group, which supports Feiner and consists of over 300 reservists who have publicly opposed the continuation of the war, called the sentencing a political imprisonment and pledged to support him and others refusing to serve.
Israeli-Arab peace NGO Standing Together also condemned Feiner’s sentence. In an Instagram post, the group said, “Ron has been acting in recent months for ending the war and rescuing the abducted, reflecting the views of the majority of the Israeli public. His arrest is a clear attempt to silence legitimate opposition.”
The NGO criticized senior government officials, accusing them of putting ideological goals ahead of the hostages’ welfare, and said the persecution of Feiner and protesters indicated government panic amid waning public support for the war.