Tomer Bar, centre, said anyone who signs the letter would no longer serve within the Israeli army [Getty/file photo]
A senior Israeli air force commander has threatened pilots with dismissal if they sign a letter opposing the war on Gaza, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.
In a meeting, Major General Tomer Bar said reservist pilots would be barred from serving if they were to endorse the letter’s message, which was written and distributed by former air force members, Israeli broadcaster Kan said.
The letter said Israel’s deadly war in Gaza “only serves political and personal interests, not security ones,” a claim that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused of, following over a year of war on Gaza, which has killed over 61,700 Palestinians.
Critics say Netanyahu is prolonging the war in a bid to cling to power and to keep hold of his cabinet’s far-right members, who have threatened to quit if the war comes to a halt.
“Continuing the war does not contribute to any of its declared goals and will lead to the deaths of hostages, IDF soldiers, and innocent civilians, and the attrition of the reservists,” the letter states.Â
“As proved in the past, only a deal can return the hostages safely, while military pressure leads mainly to the death of the hostages and risk to our soldiers,” it adds.
“We call on all Israeli citizens to mobilize for action, to demand everywhere and in any way: Stop the war and return all the hostages – now.”
A number of Israeli captives have been killed by Israeli fire during the military onslaught on the enclave, with one being killed as recently as March.
Families of captives and other demonstrators have protested frequently against Netanyahu’s government, calling for a ceasefire deal to be agreed again, which would ensure their return.
The letter however, did not explicitly call for reservists to refuse serving in the army altogether, according to Israeli reports.
The letter further criticised the judicial overhaul in Israel, also triggered by Netanyahu, and states the firing of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar is apolitically motivated.
The letter was reportedly signed by hundreds of air force reservists, Israel’s Channel 12 said, though the Israeli army said it had not received it. The army also said that the reservists stay “committed to achieving the war’s goals, including the return of the remaining captives held in the Gaza Strip”.
Haaretz, however, said on Wednesday that the letter was not yet signed by serving members.
Several Israeli reservists have been dismissed recently over their refusal to serve. Air force combat navigator Alon Gur, who reportedly told his superiors that “a line was crossed” as Israel persisted with its military onslaught, and that the state “again abandons its citizens in broad daylight”.
Israel’s war has been condemned globally by pro-Palestinian activists, human rights groups, and several world leaders.
It has been labelled as a genocide by the likes of Amnesty International and by the government of South Africa, which filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice back in December 2023.
