Nearly 1,000 active and retired reservists in Israel’s Air Force have called for their government to strike a deal to release Israeli hostages in exchange for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, arguing that the fighting endangers the captives’ lives as well as innocent civilians.
In response, the Air Force said it would dismiss any active-duty reservists who signed the letter, accusing them of using the force’s “brand” to voice their opinion.
“Refusal to serve is refusal to serve – even if it implied and in polite language,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. “Expressions that weaken the IDF and strengthen our enemies in wartime are unforgivable. This is a marginal and extremist group that is again trying to break Israeli society from within.”
The open letter from the reservists, issued Thursday and printed in Israeli newspapers, is one of the starkest signs yet of grassroots opposition to continued fighting in Gaza, which Israel’s government resumed in March after a two-month ceasefire that saw dozens of hostages go free. It comes on the same day as a poll that shows more than two-thirds of Israelis want the government to prioritize releasing the hostages over defeating Hamas, which is holding them.
Taken together, the petition and poll indicate that most Israelis would support stopping the war in order to free the hostages. The call from the Air Force reservists is especially significant in Israel, both because of the central role the Air Force plays in the Gaza war, and because it is considered the elite of the Israeli military. Protests like this have had an impact before: Prior to Oct. 7, the government paused its judicial reform in part following threats from pilots to shirk their reserve duty.
The petition “demands the return of the hostages home without delay, even at the cost of ending the war immediately.”
It continues, “At this point, the war principally serves political and personal interests, and not security interests. Continuing the fighting does not contribute to any of its stated goals and and will bring about the deaths of hostages, IDF soldiers and innocent civilians, and attrition among reservists.”
Dozens of Israeli hostages were released in the ceasefire that began in mid-January, and ended two months later. Since then, mass protests in Israel have criticized the resumption of the fighting and called on the government to prioritize the remaining 59 hostages — 24 of whom are thought to still be alive.
A poll released Thursday found that that sentiment has broad popular appeal in Israel. The survey by the Israel Democracy Institute said 68% of Israelis want the government to prioritize bringing home the hostages over defeating Hamas, while 25% said to prioritize defeating Hamas. Around half of Israelis think accomplishing both goals is impossible.
The poll dovetails with other surveys showing that most Israelis would prefer to end the war if it means the hostages going free. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said both goals are important — though a number of hostage families have accused him of deprioritizing negotiations.
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