Q&A: The Laws of War
The Laws of War
Question
If a person is convinced that after a mission he is assigned by the IDF, he will not come out alive, even though logically there is definitely a chance that he will come out unharmed, but he has a strong “intuition” (also based on real-world probabilities) that he will be injured—may he go on the mission? (Or is it not only permitted, but actually obligatory for him to do so?) The whole question assumes that there is a prohibition against going on a mission if you know with certainty that you will not come out of it alive.
Answer
That assumption is incorrect. There is no prohibition against going on such a mission. There is a prohibition against ordering such a mission as a command. One should ask for a volunteer. A volunteer is permitted to volunteer.
If that person is convinced that he will not return alive, in my opinion that has no significance at all, if this is a feeling and not a logical assessment.