Tel Aviv: Israeli Air Force commanders have reportedly threatened to expel approximately 970 personnel, including pilots, officers, and soldiers, if they do not retract their signatures from a letter demanding an end to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported that about 970 aircrew members, some of whom are in active reserve service, signed the letter opposing the war, but it does not call for refusal to serve. In response, senior Air Force leaders have made personal phone calls to these reservists, urging them to withdraw their support. Commanders have informed them that failure to comply would result in their dismissal.
Following the threat, only 25 signatories withdrew their names, while eight others expressed their desire to add their signatures. The letter's signatories, including senior Air Force officers and pilots, argue that the fighting in Gaza serves political interests rather than security concerns. Members of the Israeli opposition have long contended that the war on Gaza aims to allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remain in office and is unrelated to Israel's security.
Days earlier, Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar met with some of the primary signatories. During the meeting, reserve officers criticized Bar's decision to threaten all signatories with removal, describing it as a legal and ethical overreach that infringes on reservists' rights to express political views. Bar countered that the issue was not about punishment, stating that those who claim the war's resumption is primarily political and harms hostage release prospects cannot fulfill their reserve duties.
Bar also addressed the timing of the letter, calling its signing during wartime illegitimate. He predicted that a ceasefire and hostage release deal could soon be reached. The military discharged two reservists on March 19, one from intelligence and the other from the Air Force, for refusing to participate in the Gaza war after fighting resumed. One of the discharged reservists labeled government ministers and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "dirty traitors."
The Israeli army renewed its assault on Gaza on March 18, resulting in nearly 1,500 deaths, 3,700 injuries, and the collapse of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement signed in January. Prime Minister Netanyahu recently vowed to escalate attacks on Gaza amid efforts to implement US President Donald Trump's plan to displace Palestinians from the enclave. Since October 2023, over 50,800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice concerning its actions in the enclave.