Hundreds of Israeli Air Force soldiers are calling for a stopping of the Gaza war

Hundreds of reserve soldiers and retired officers in the Israeli Air Force signed a speech on Thursday urging the Israeli government to agree to A deal with Hamas To return the hostages, even at the price of stopping the war in Gaza.

This message, which was signed by nearly a thousand people, including the former chief of staff and other former military leaders, has placed a growing gap in the Israeli army because of dealing with the war. The Air Force was a major part of Israel’s efforts in Gaza, Implementing strikes That stipulated a lot of the pocket and left thousands dead.

The appeal reflected a great concern about the fate of the hostages after a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in mid -March. The hostages were in the capture of the militants in Gaza for more than 18 months.

The message was immediately replaced by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, which said that “the statements that weaken the Israeli defense forces and strengthened our enemy during the wartime” were “indispensable.”

The Israeli army said it decided to drain the reserve soldiers in the active service who signed the message, although the numbers that could be rejected were not expected to be high. The army said that most of the people who signed the list were not in active service. The timing of the separation was not clear.

The message was an unusually wide range of criticism from the Air Force members about the way the war was operated. The military branch, in particular, was a noticeable voice of the opposition to the government.

The Air Force pilots threatened to stop service in the army during the country’s protests in 2023 against the government’s deep -division efforts to reduce the authority of institutions, including the Supreme Court, which was an examination of the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The campaign was suspended after the Hamas -led attack on Israel in October 2023, but last month the government returned to this effort, to pass legislation that gave politicians More control over the choice of judges.

In the main points throughout the war, among senior military officials Click to stop the shooting Behind the scenes, hoping to bring more hostages to the house and give stressful forces a break. In January, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire, but the war resumed after Israel and Hamas failed to extend it.

On Thursday, the message claimed that continuing the war would lead to The death of the hostages He argued that she was driven by political interests, instead of security.

“Stop fighting and return all hostages – now!” He said. “Every day it passes through their lives.”

Critics of Mr. Netanyahu accused him Giving priority to his political survival On the return of the hostages. The far -right coalition partners with Mr. Netanyahu threatened to leave the coalition if he ended the war without defeating Hamas.

Al -Migour, General Nimrod Shevir, a former former Air Force officer, said that he fell on the message because he felt that the hostages in Gaza were increasingly at risk. The Israeli government said it believed that 24 of the 59 hostages are alive.

“It is immoral to give up 59 hostages in Gaza.” He added: “Someone needs to say loudly and clearly that they need to go home.” “We cannot stay calm anymore.”

For the Palestinians in Gaza, the renewed bombing campaign in Israel led to tremendous destruction. More than 1,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war was restarted, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians on its victims’ charges.

Israeli officials said that the air strikes targeted the Hamas and their weapons infrastructure and that it was supposed to increase the pressure on the group to liberate more hostages. On Thursday, the Israeli army said that the Hamas commander, who participated in the attack on October 7, 2023.

The Civil Defense in Gaza, an emergency rescue service within the framework of the Hamas Ministry of Interior, said on Wednesday that a strike in the Shajai neighborhood in Gaza City was At least 23 people were killedIncluding eight children. Israel accused Hamas of inclusion in civilian areas. The bodies of 40 people were killed by Israel to hospitals throughout Gaza on Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Health.

The latest Israeli army attack in Gaza included widespread evacuation orders, which include nearly half of the region, according to an analysis in the New York Times of Israeli military maps. Satellite images also show that the Israeli army was controlling its shelf, as the forces were closed in the far south of the city in Gaza from two directions.

Last week, Mr. Netanyahu said that Israel would create A new corridor in GazaWho alluded to plots of land in the southern city of Rafah from the rest of the tape. The Maurraj Corridor seemed to take his name from a former Israeli settlement in southern Gaza, from which Israel withdrew in 2005.

Samuel Granados and Lauren Leglabi The reports contributed.