Image Source – CNN
Occupied Gaza Strip – In support of the Israeli Air Force pilots who called for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza, some 250 reservists from the Israeli Defence Forces’s (IDF) elite 8200 Intelligence Unit have thrown their weight behind the initial letter.
According to reports, they’ve demanded the return of hostages and have also echoed concerns that the continuation of the war in Gaza serves no clear objective and will only lead to further loss of life.
“Only an agreement can bring the hostages back safely, while military pressure mainly results in the killing of hostages and endangers our soldiers. Every day that passes, their lives are at risk; every additional moment of hesitation is a disgrace.”
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a post on X, labelled the series of letters as propaganda, insisting they were not written on behalf of the IDF or the Israeli public.
He called the signatories “weeds” funded by foreign NGOs determined to overthrow his government, and he has threatened to dismiss them as well.
“It’s not a drift. It’s not current. It’s a small, noisy, anarchic, and disconnected handful of pensioners – the vast majority of whom haven’t even served for years. These weeds are trying to weaken the State of Israel and the IDF and are encouraging our enemy to harm us.”
The letter adds to a growing wave of dissent within Israel’s military ranks. Following the first letter from Israeli Air Force reservists, the IDF announced it would discharge any Air Force personnel who signed the letter condemning the war and calling for the release of hostages.
In that letter, thousands of Air Force reservists and retirees argued that the IDF is fighting a war driven by political and personal interests rather than security concerns.
They also criticised the recent offensive by Israel, which collapsed the ceasefire in Gaza, warning that it would only result in the deaths of remaining Israeli hostages and innocent civilians in Gaza.
Reports suggest that Israeli officials have stated the IDF must remain above political disputes and that any active reservist who signed the letter would no longer be allowed to serve.
“There is no room for anybody or individual, including reservists in active duty, to exploit their military status while simultaneously participating in the fighting and calling for its cessation,” said the Israeli official.
The move to dismiss the letter’s signatories, backed by the Minister of Defence and Chief of Staff, is fully supported by Netanyahu, who said any action undermining the IDF is unforgivable.
He also slammed the dissenters as a “fringe group” trying to divide Israeli society, insisting that they do not represent either the army or the general public.
“Refusal is refusal – even when it is said implicitly and in slurred language… This noisy fringe group is mobilised for one goal – to overthrow the government. It represents neither the fighters nor the public.”
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Despite Netanyahu’s claim that the military backlash is the work of a fringe minority, Professor Jeff Halper believes it reflects a much deeper crisis within Israeli society.
Halper, who heads the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, said the recent protest letters are not isolated incidents. They’re signs of widespread disapproval, including from Israel’s military elite.
He noted that the letters from the reservists did not promote refusal to serve. Still, it demanded an end to the war, highlighting the risks it poses to hostages and soldiers and criticising it as a political tool to protect Netanyahu’s hold on power.
Pilots and other military personnel, Halper pointed out, are considered the “elite of the elite” in Israeli society. Their decision to speak out has opened a significant crack in the long-standing wall of support that has protected the government’s actions.
He added that while protests against the current Israeli government and the war in Gaza have been ongoing for months, what makes this moment different is that the dissent is now coming from within the IDF, and when they speak, it means the crisis has reached the very heart of Israel’s security establishment.
This kind of pushback signals that even those carrying out the war are starting to question its legitimacy, its purpose, and the cost.
Halper said many Israelis are beginning to see that Netanyahu’s continuation of the war has more to do with clinging to power amid corruption charges than protecting the country.
“When the military speaks out, that’s the huge crack in the cockpit. But in addition to that, when the Air Force people speak out—you know, the pilots in particular—they’re the elite of the elite.”
“That really means… that’s sort of the last straw. That means that everyone within Israeli society is basically against what’s going on here. And so that’s where it really, I think, broke through in a way that all the mass protests weren’t able to do in the last few months,” Halper said.
He also confirmed that this wave of protest is not limited to the Air Force and the IDF’s Intelligence Unit. Members of the Israeli Navy are reportedly preparing their letter, a sign that internal opposition to Netanyahu’s Gaza strategy is spreading across the defence establishment.
