Egypt Daily News – An Israeli military official stated on Thursday that the army will dismiss reserve pilots who publicly signed a petition calling for the release of hostages in Gaza, even if it requires halting the war with Hamas.
A military spokesperson said, “With full support from the Chief of Staff, the Israeli Air Force commander has decided that any active reserve member who signed this letter will not be able to continue their service in the army.”
This comes in response to a petition signed by about a thousand retired or reserve pilots, which was published as a full-page ad in several Israeli newspapers. The petition challenged the policy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who believes that escalating military pressure on Gaza is the only way to force Hamas to release the hostages they captured during their October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.
The petition read, “We, the reserve and retired air force members, demand the immediate return of the hostages, even if it requires an immediate halt to hostilities.”
The signatories added, “The war primarily serves political and personal interests, not security interests,” and warned that it would result in the deaths of hostages, soldiers, and innocent civilians, as well as the exhaustion of the reserve service in the Israeli military.
The petition emphasized that “only an agreement will bring the hostages home safely, whereas military pressure will mainly result in the deaths of hostages and the endangerment of our soldiers’ lives.” The military official clarified that the majority of the signatories are not active reserve personnel, stressing that the army’s policy is clear: the military is “above all political disputes.”
He continued, “There is no place for any group or individual, including reserve members in active service, to exploit their military position and participate in the fighting while simultaneously calling for it to stop.”
Netanyahu expressed support for dismissing any active pilot who signed the petition.
The Prime Minister’s office stated, “A refusal is a refusal, whether implicit or expressed in softened language,” pointing out that “statements that weaken the army and strengthen our enemies during wartime are unforgivable.”
During the Hamas attack, 251 hostages were taken, with 58 still held in Gaza, while 34 were killed, according to Israeli military estimates.
A ceasefire that came into effect on January 19 allowed the release of 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for the release of approximately 1,800 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
The ceasefire collapsed when Israel resumed its airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza on March 18. Efforts to re-establish a ceasefire agreement have so far been unsuccessful.
