Soldiers in the IDF’s Intelligence unit 8200 wrote a joint letter calling on the government to release the hostages, even if it means stopping the fighting in Gaza, Israeli media reported on Friday.
Hundreds of reservist officers, active-duty soldiers, and retired officers signed the letter and, according to KAN, the organizers intend to publish it in a similar way to the letter published by fighters of the Air Force recently.
The 8200 officers said “We identify with the grave and troubling assertion that, at this time, the war serves primarily political and personal interests, not security interests."
"Continuing the war contributes nothing to its stated objectives and will lead to the deaths of hostages, IDF soldiers, and innocent civilians. We are concerned about the erosion of the reserve force and the growing rates of non-reporting for duty, and we worry about the long-term consequences of this trend.”
“Only an agreement can bring the hostages back safely, while military pressure mainly results in the killing of hostages and endangers our soldiers,” the letter continued. “Every day that passes their lives are at risk; every additional moment of hesitation is a disgrace.”
Air Force reservists signed letter
The IDF is set to expel hundreds of air force reservists who signed an advertisement calling for an end to the war.
While the letter specifically mentioned the war, those involved in the letter are also part of a broader opposition to Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul as well as his ongoing efforts to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.
Only 60 of those who signed the letter are actively serving in the reserves, and of those, the number of pilots is in the single digits.
Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir’s view is that no matter how controversial Netanyahu’s policies may be, these are policies decided by the lawfully elected government of Israel and the IDF, and its reservists are forbidden from taking any public position on these issues.