A group of 1,000 current and former Israeli Air Force (IAF) reservists published a letter on Thursday, April 10, demanding the return of the remaining Israeli captives held in Gaza, “even if it means ending the war.”
Published by Haaretz, the letter asserts that the so-called “war” has failed to achieve any of the Israeli government’s stated objectives. Instead, it argues, the war only serves “political and personal interests,” and will ultimately result in the deaths of Israeli captives, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) soldiers, and innocent civilians.
The reservists urged the Israeli public to “mobilize for action,” insisting that a ceasefire is the only viable path to securing the release of the remaining captives.
The letter was met with hostility from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who dismissed its signatories as “a group of fringe extremists who are trying once again to break Israeli society from within.”
He accused them of attempting to topple the government, stating they “don’t represent the soldiers or the public” and condemning their acknowledgment of the situation his government created as an “unforgivable” show of weakness.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed his PM’s sentiment, claiming the letter undermines the “legitimacy” of Israel’s actions in Gaza and urging the IOF and IAF leadership to handle the matter “in the most appropriate way.”
According to Israeli media, after the letter was made public, IAF commander Tomer Bar ordered military officials to call the signatories and pressure them to retract their statements.
Meanwhile, a recent poll by Israel’s Channel 12 revealed that 70% of Israelis do not trust Netanyahu’s government and oppose its handling of the captives’ situation. Despite this, a newly passed budget allocates significant funding toward military efforts, signaling Israel’s intent to continue its genocidal campaign in Gaza indefinitely.
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A ceasefire agreement brokered on January 19 would have secured the release of the remaining 59 captives had Israel honored it. However, after breaching the truce nearly 1,000 times, Israel officially resumed its assault on March 15, claiming it would not end the war until Hamas is removed from power and no longer poses a threat.
Critics have accused Netanyahu – who is subject to an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in Gaza since October 2023 – of prolonging the war to protect his political standing and keep his fragile coalition intact.
Since October 2023, Israel has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, wounded more than 115,000, and left more than 61,000 missing beneath the rubble – presumed dead.
While some pro-Palestine observers have welcomed signs of internal dissent in Israel, others argue that the protests remain narrowly focused on the fate of Israeli captives and the financial cost of war.
They point out that those demonstrating have either participated in or tacitly supported the ongoing displacement and killing of Palestinians — whether through mandatory military service or by benefiting from land seized during the ethnic cleansing and displacement of the indigenous Palestinian population.
Before the current genocidal assault began, Gaza was home to approximately 2.4 million people — including 1.6 million Palestinian refugees who were displaced from other parts of historic Palestine during the 1948 Nakba and subsequent Israeli military campaigns.
