Veteran Israeli fighter pilots call on Israel to prioritize Gaza hostage releases, even if war must stop
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative Reuters photo by Amir Cohen via the New York Times
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Nearly 1,000 Israeli retired and reservist fighter pilots called in an open letter on Thursday for the government to prioritise freeing remaining hostages held in Gaza, even if that meant halting the war against Hamas.
An Israeli military official said signatories who are on active duty would be dismissed over the letter, which said the war - which Israel resumed last month after a two-month ceasefire - "mainly serves personal and political interests, rather than genuine security needs".
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he backed the dismissals because "statements that weaken the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and strengthen our enemies in time of war are unforgivable".
The letter, published by several Israeli media outlets, was signed by 980 reservists, most of them retired with around 10 percent on active reserve duty, one signatory told Reuters.
The letter demanded "the immediate return of all our hostages without delay, even at the cost of stopping the war immediately".
The war began after Hamas-led Palestinian militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's offensive since then has killed over 50,000 Palestinians and widely demolished Gaza, local health authorities say.
Last month Israel broke a ceasefire reached in January after the two sides failed to agree on terms for extending it. Israel has said its military operations will continue until the remaining 59 hostages still held by Hamas and other militant groups are returned. Hamas says it will not free them without a deal that would bring a permanent end to the war.
Hostage family members and weekly protesters have called on Netanyahu's right-wing government to make a deal with Hamas to free the hostages, even if that requires Israel to fully withdraw from Gaza and stop the conflict.
Netanyahu says Israel will keep fighting until all its aims are met, including stripping Hamas of the ability to rule Gaza, and that this approach would eventually get the hostages freed.
The Israeli military official said there was no room for "reservists in active duty to exploit their military status (politically) while simultaneously participating in the fighting". The official called the letter a "serious breach of trust between commanders and subordinates"
A poll released on Thursday by the Israel Democracy Institute found increasing support over the course of the war for prioritising the release of hostages over the elimination of Hamas. It found that 68% of Israelis thought bringing hostages home should be the highest priority.
(Reporting by Emily Rose; editing by Mark Heinrich)
