About 1,000 current and retired Israeli Air Force pilots sign letter, saying Gaza war only serves ‘political interests’.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced about 1,000 current and retired Israeli Air Force reservists, who signed a letter calling for an end to the war in Gaza, referring to them as “marginal and extremist”, while expressing support for the serving pilots’ dismissal.
In a statement posted on X on Thursday, Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister “backs the decision” of the defence minister and the Israeli military chief of staff “to dismiss those who signed the letter”.
The document, which ignited a political uproar in Israel, urged all Israeli citizens to demand an end to the war, warning that the bombardment of Gaza puts Israeli captives held in the enclave at risk.
“As has been proven in the past, only a [ceasefire] deal can bring back the hostages safely, while military pressure mainly leads to the killing of the hostages and the endangerment of our soldiers,” the soldiers said.
“Currently, the war serves mainly political and personal interests, not security interests,” the document added.
Netanyahu said “expressions that weaken” the military “and strengthen our enemies in wartime are unforgiveable”.
“This is a marginal and extremist group that is again trying to break Israeli society from within,” he added, accusing them of trying to topple the government. “They already tried to do this before October 7 and Hamas interpreted the call to refuse to serve as weakness.”
According to Israeli media, the letter does not call for a general refusal to serve but rather urges Israeli officials to prioritise the release of captives rather than pursuing the deadly war.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the signatories include many active reservists, including senior officers and pilots, as well as others who are no longer in active reserve duty.
The report added that after the document was leaked, military officials called the signatories and urged them to retract, on orders from Israeli Air Force commander Tomer Bar.
Bar also threatened the reservist pilots who signed the letter would be barred from serving, according to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan.
Haaretz said only 25 retracted their signatures while eight more signed in protest.
The newspaper later reported that Israel’s Military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the Air Force’s Bar have decided to dismiss the reservists.
It is unclear when the dismissal would take effect.
Critics have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war in a bid to keep his cabinet intact and stay as prime minister.
Families of Israeli captives and their supporters have also been urging Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire with Hamas and pave the way for the captives’ release.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 50,846 Palestinians are confirmed dead and 115,729 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza. The enclave’s Government Media Office updated its death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.