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“I Am Here to Refuse the Genocide”: Two Israeli Teens Get Prison Terms for Draft Resistance

HeadlineAug 01, 2025

Antiwar Israelis held a protest outside a military recruitment center in Ramat Gan Thursday in support of two 18-year-old draft resisters who announced they would refuse to enlist in Israel’s army. Ayana Gerstmann was sentenced to 30 days in a military prison for her refusal; Yuval Peleg received a 20-day sentence.

Ayana Gerstmann: “I can’t be a part of the war in Gaza, of the misery and suffer caused to so many people.”

Yuval Peleg: “I am here to refuse the genocide, first and foremost, to refuse to participate and to be complicit in genocide.”

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