Tel Aviv (Agencies): The Israeli military announced on Thursday that it will dismiss any active air force reservists who signed a public petition urging the government to prioritize the release of hostages over continuing the Gaza war.
The decision, backed by Chief of the General Staff and enforced by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) commander, came in response to a letter signed by around 1,000 reserve and retired pilots. The letter, published in major Israeli newspapers, criticized the government’s war strategy and called for the immediate release of hostages, even at the cost of halting military operations in Gaza.
“We, the aircrew in the reserves and retired, demand the immediate return of the hostages even at the cost of an immediate cessation of hostilities,” the letter stated, arguing that the war serves political rather than security interests and risks the lives of hostages, soldiers, and civilians.
A military official told AFP that while most signatories were not currently active reservists, those who are will no longer serve in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). “There is no room for any individual, including reservists on active duty, to leverage their military status while simultaneously advocating for an end to the fighting,” the official said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the dismissal of the pilots, stating that any form of refusal to serve, even when subtly expressed, undermines the IDF and strengthens Israel’s enemies during wartime. “Statements that weaken the IDF are unforgivable,” a statement from his office read.
The controversy unfolds as 58 of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas’s October 2023 attack remain in Gaza, with 34 believed to be dead. A ceasefire earlier this year led to the release of 33 hostages in exchange for 1,800 Palestinian prisoners, but further truce efforts have stalled.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues its operations in southern Gaza, reporting the dismantling of tunnels and militant infrastructure. A recent airstrike in Gaza City killed a Hamas commander, according to the IDF, but Gaza’s civil defense agency said the strike also claimed the lives of at least 23 civilians, including women and children.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the overall Palestinian death toll since the war began has reached 50,886, while 1,218 people have been killed on the Israeli side, mostly civilians.