The Israel Defense Forces said 14 soldiers of the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion, who led a mass desertion of an army base in southern Israel on Thursday, were sentenced to 30 days in military jail.

The commander of the Givati Brigade, Col. Netanel Shamaka, also permanently dismissed those soldiers from combat duty, the military said.

On Thursday, around 100 infantry soldiers left behind their weapons and abandoned the Sde Teiman base in southern Israel after their battalion commander destroyed decorative signs they had put up, according to the military.

The soldiers claimed the signs were “part of our company’s tradition.” According to the army, the signs contained materials meant to disparage rookie soldiers. Infantry soldiers in the IDF have a history of hazing new recruits and of deserting en masse over alleged mistreatment by commanders.

Footage posted online showed the soldiers marching out of the base while chanting an obscenity against officers. Other footage from the base showed a disorganized mount of guns left behind by the soldiers, and the wreckage of the removed signs, including one with a hellish motif that read “Kingdom of Devils.”

The Givati soldiers’ commander gave them until 4 p.m. to return to Sde Teiman or face punishment. The officer said the........

© The Times of Israel