Tel Aviv: More than 141,000 Israelis, including military figures, have signed petitions demanding the return of captives from the Gaza Strip and the cessation of the war on the Palestinian enclave, new data showed on Monday.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Restart Israel platform, which publishes petitions for Israelis to sign, reported that the number of signatories reached 141,874, a significant increase from 121,000 on Friday.
The platform indicated that the number of petitions in circulation rose from 47 to 56 on Monday. These petitions have been initiated by reservists and retired soldiers from various Israeli military units, along with civilian groups supporting the soldiers' message. The majority of signatories, however, are civilians.
According to the platform, over 11,000 reservists and retired soldiers have signed 20 open petitions, with 1,000 joining in the past two days. Civilian signatures are also increasing rapidly, with 73,599 civilians, 3,700 teachers, 3,900 academics, 2,000 parents of students, 1,500 parents of soldiers, 1,200 relatives of fallen soldiers, 433 lawyers, and 16,299 Israeli mothers among the signatories.
Additional signatories include 258 female doctors, 2,100 high-tech professionals, 350 writers and poets, 131 artists and intellectuals, 472 engineers and urban planners, and 15,638 supporters of messages from Israeli Air Force veterans and reservists. Prominent figures who signed included former Prime Minister and Chief of Staff Ehud Barak and former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz.
High-profile signatories also include four former navy commanders, three former Flotilla 13 leaders, and two former artillery commanders. Other notable signatories are former Southern Command leader Amram Mitzna, former Central Command leader Avi Mizrahi, former military intelligence chief Amos Malka, former Armored Corps commander Amnon Reshef, former Planning Directorate head Nimrod Sheffer, and former Central Command leader Ilan Biran.
A common statement across many military petitions reads, 'At this time, the war primarily serves political interests, not security interests. Continuing the war contributes nothing to its stated objectives and will lead to the deaths of hostages, Israeli soldiers, and innocent civilians, and to the erosion of the reservist system.' The signatories call for an immediate agreement to bring all 59 hostages home without delay, even if it requires halting the fighting.
According to Israeli media, the government has begun to take disciplinary action against military doctors who signed the petitions. This follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that the signatories are engaging in insubordination with the support of foreign-funded organizations aiming to topple his government, which has been in power since late 2022.
Israel currently believes that 24 of the 59 remaining hostages in Gaza are still alive. Simultaneously, over 9,500 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israeli jails, with numerous reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect leading to detainees' deaths.
An initial ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel, brokered by Egypt and Qatar with American backing, began on Jan. 19 and was violated by Israel in mid-March. More than 51,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.
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 for its actions on the enclave.