Hundreds of reservists and retired officers of the Air Force in Israel signed a letter urging the Israeli government on Thursday to accept an agreement with Hamas to return hostages to Israel, even at the price of the war stopping in Gaza.
The letter, signed by around a thousand people, including a former chief of staff and other former higher military leaders, has exposed a growing gap in the Israeli army for the manipulation of war. The Air Force was a key element of Israel’s effort in Gaza, making air strikes that flattened a large part of the enclave and thousands of deaths.
The appeal immediately pulled a reprimand from the office of the Israeli Prime Minister, who said that “the statements that weaken Israeli defense forces and strengthen our enemy in wartime” were “unforgivable”.
The Israeli army said that it had decided to unload reservists in active service who had signed the letter. It was not clear how many signatories were reservists in active service, that the soldiers had already stopped their service and what would the exact effect on the military operation.
The letter is an unusual demonstration on a large scale of criticism from Air Force members on how war was managed. But this military branch, in particular, was previously a notable voice from opposition to the government.
Air Force pilots threatened to stop serving in the army during the national demonstrations in 2023 against the government’s efforts deeply divisors to reduce the power of institutions that had given control over its government, including the Supreme Court.
The campaign was suspended after the attack led by Hamas against Israel in October 2023, but last month, the government returned to the effort, adopting legislation which gave politicians more control over the choice of judges.
Thursday, the letter said that the continuation of the war would lead to the death of the hostages and argued that it was motivated by political interests rather than security.
“Stop the fights and return all the hostages – now!” he said. “Every passing day endangers their lives.”
The detractors of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel accused him of prioritizing his political survival on the return of hostages. The partners of the far -right coalition of Mr. Netanyahu threatened to leave the coalition if he ended the war without having defeated Hamas.
Major-General Nimrod Sheffer, an Air Force retirement officer, said that he had signed the letter because he thought that hostages in Gaza became more and more vulnerable. The Israeli government said it thought 24 of the 59 hostages remaining to be alive.
“It is immoral to abandon 59 hostages in Gaza,” said General Sheffer during a telephone interview. “Someone has to say loudly and clearly that he has to go home,” he added. “We can no longer remain silent.”
