As Israel steps up its campaign against Hamas, a group of Israeli military veterans reportedly released a letter Thursday urging the Israeli government to return all hostages in Gaza, even if it meant halting the war against the militant organization.
The action reflects growing popular disagreement among Israelis on the war’s conduct and its continuation.
It occurs as Israel prepares for a fresh, massive invasion by reentering Gaza with more troops, evacuating population from major areas of the region, and conducting frequent airstrikes.
The majority of the signatories are totally retired, according to an Israeli military official, and the active reservists who signed the petition will no longer be eligible to serve.
Before the letter was released, the air force commander informed prospective signatories of the potential repercussions, and several withdrew their names, the official continued.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, declared his support for the military’s decision to remove the signatories from reserve duty.
A wave of Israeli reservists, including those from the air force, signed letters prior to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks that precipitated the war in Gaza, threatening to leave voluntary duty if Netanyahu’s coalition approved a judicial reform that detractors claimed threatened Israel’s democracy.
On Thursday, Netanyahu reiterated his claim that Hamas struck Israel because it thought the reserve demonstrations were a sign of weakness.
According to Israel’s military, Hamas had planned the attack years in advance but decided to strike during Israel’s domestic unrest.
Although the war in Gaza was initially widely supported by the Israeli public, according to the most recent surveys, the majority of Israelis would rather accept a compromise that would stop the conflict in exchange for the release of the 59 hostages who are still in Gaza, 24 of whom are thought to be alive.
Netanyahu has stated that he is applying military pressure to Hamas in order to compel the organization to comply with Israel’s demands for both disarmament and the release of captives.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to launch a fierce war throughout the Gaza Strip if Hamas does not agree to release the hostages immediately while on a trip to Gaza on Wednesday.
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