By Abderaouf Arnaout and Ikram Kouachi
JERUSALEM/ANKARA (AA) - A growing movement within Israel is demanding an end to the war in the Gaza Strip as thousands of military reservists, former officers, medical professionals and academics publicly challenge the government’s continuation of the onslaught.
A wave of signatures to letters to end the war, accompanied by unprecedented criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli army leadership, has created a significant internal challenge amid hostilities in Gaza, tensions in Syria and mounting concerns about a possible confrontation with Iran.
- Surge in signatories
Approximately 1,000 current and former Israeli Air Force personnel signed a letter Thursday demanding an end to the war.
They were quickly followed by 150 signatures from former navy officers, dozens of Armored Corps soldiers. And Friday, an additional 100 military doctors, hundreds of reservists from the elite intelligence Unit 8200, and 2,000 academic staff from Israeli universities put their names to letters.
The groundswell of dissent is not framed as draft refusals, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in his attempt to discredit the movement. But signatories emphasized that the war now primarily serves “political and personal interests,” implicitly accusing Netanyahu of prolonging the war for self-preservation.
- Signatory motivation
Retired fighter pilot Lt. Col. Arnon Sharabi, who signed the Air Force letter, told Israel’s public broadcaster KAN that signatories were guided by a "deep ethical concern and a sense of responsibility."
Sharabi, who left reserve duty due to age, expressed dismay that a concrete plan to end the war and bring back hostages had already been approved by the government but was abandoned.
“The plan could have spared us all this suffering. Instead, the government chose a path that prolongs the agony,” said Sharabi.
He condemned Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Air Force Commander Tomer Bar for dismissing some reservists who signed the letter.
Military analyst Avi Ashkenazi emphasized to the Maariv newspaper on Friday that the message from Air Force veterans is not a call for insubordination: “They’re asking: after a year and a half of war, what’s the endgame? Is returning the hostages no longer a priority?”
- Political backing, harsh critique
Opposition lawmaker Gilad Kariv of the Democrats Party stated that “the pilots’ message is a clear and courageous call to end the war for the sake of the hostages, the reservists, and the moral integrity of our society.”
Kariv condemned the government’s lack of strategy: “This same failed government keeps sending troops into battle with no vision, no plan, and zero willingness to engage in the political steps required to end the longest war in Israel’s history.”
“The real refusers are Netanyahu and his corrupt nationalist allies, refusing a hostage deal, refusing an investigation, refusing elections, and rejecting political negotiations,” he added.
- Mounting pressure on military leadership
The letters also place Halevi and Air Force Commander Tomer Bar in a difficult position. Following their decision to expel some reservists who signed the letter, public and media backlash has intensified.
Veteran defense commentator Yossi Yehoshua wrote in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Friday: “The last thing Israel’s military leadership needed right now was fresh tension with its reservists, especially as confidence in the government wanes.”
He noted that “life‑and‑death challenges have been eclipsed by an open letter signed by dozens of Israeli Air Force reservists.”
Yehoshua argued that Halevi’s intention to depoliticize the army is being undermined by the government’s insistence on framing the letter as a refusal to serve.
- Iran on horizon
Meanwhile, Israel’s security establishment is closely monitoring US-Iran talks, reportedly taking place in Oman and led by US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Yehoshua warned of serious implications. “Whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu truly knew in advance of these talks—as he claims—or what he may have negotiated in a private call with President Donald Trump is now less important than preparing for every eventuality: a renewed diplomatic breakthrough, a collapse in talks, or even a sudden military strike, with or without American backing,” he said.