The Israeli army says it would hearth any Air Drive reservists that signed an open letter condemning the conflict in Gaza for serving political pursuits as a substitute of rescuing the hostages, a military official warned Friday.
Near 1,000 reservists and retired members of the Air Drive signed the letter, which was printed as an advert in Israeli newspapers this week.
Many of the signatures got here from military veterans, in accordance to the Times of Israel, although 60 reservists are prone to be kicked out of the drive.
The letter demanded the immediate return of the hostages, even at the price of ending the conflict.
“The continuation of the conflict doesn’t advance any of the declared targets of the conflict, and can carry concerning the deaths of the hostages, of IDF troopers and harmless civilians,” reads the letter.
“As has been confirmed previously, solely an settlement can return hostages safely, whereas army stress primarily results in the killing of hostages and the endangerment of our troopers,” it added.
About 250 Israeli hostages were captured by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. Greater than a yr and a half later, an estimated 59 are nonetheless being held, with solely 24 believed to nonetheless be alive.
A military official stated there was no room for anybody to make use of the “Israeli Air Drive model” for political protests and “to take advantage of their army standing whereas concurrently collaborating within the combating,” calling the letter a breach of belief.
The letter is the most recent occasion in a rising variety of Israeli troopers talking out towards the protracted conflict.
Israel has doubled its foothold in the Gaza Strip, with its army now controlling greater than 50% of the enclave since restarting the war against Hamas last month following a brief ceasefire.
With wires
