The Israeli Air Force reservist signatories of a letter calling to end the war in Gaza are a "noisy fringe group" which only aim to topple the government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.
In a response issued by the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu backed the decision by Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Air Force chief Tomer Bar to dismiss the signatories of the letter by IAF pilots, which called for an end to the war.
Netanyahu said that "rejection is refusal - even when it is expressed implicitly.
"Statements that weaken the IDF and strengthen our enemies in time of war are inexcusable. This is an extremist fringe group that is once again trying to break Israeli society from within."
The prime minister further claimed that the "fringe group" is being "used for one goal only - toppling the government," adding that "it does not represent soldiers nor the Israeli public."
IDF unclear on how many reservists will be let go
The IDF said on Thursday that a majority of the reservists due to be expelled are not serving actively, and that the Air Force will function fine, given that it has tens of thousands of members.
However, the IDF did not provide actual numbers of how many reservists who will be expelled are active.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.