The Israeli military court issued a ruling on Wednesday, sentencing an Israeli soldier to 4 months in prison with community service for killing a frog by placing it in the microwave. According to "Channel 13" in Israel, in addition to prison time, the soldier is required to complete community service and pay a fine of 1,500 shekels.
The military court judges stated that “the accused tortured and mistreated the frog in a manner that led to its death. Anyone who is cruel and mistreats animals will ultimately end up harming humans as well.” The judges also wrote in the ruling that “dealing with animal suffering is not only a struggle for the interests of animals; it is an expression of human dignity and consideration for the feelings of others who wish to protect animals and the sanctity of life in general.”
Details of the incident date back to March of last year when a soldier found a frog near the unit's base and put it in the microwave for 10 seconds until his friend asked him to stop. An Israeli army spokesperson stated, “The Israeli Army takes a serious view of any behavior related to animal abuse and will work to achieve justice for soldiers involved in these offenses.”
Furthermore, the Central Military Court “respected the arrangement of the guilty plea that was presented and sentenced the soldier convicted of a crime under the animal cruelty law and for inappropriate behavior, giving him a four-month prison sentence along with military service, a suspended prison sentence, a demotion to the rank of soldier, and a fine of 1,500 shekels for the animal fund.”