Israeli army in 'damage control' over reservists' calls to end Gaza war

The Israeli army is in 'damage control' over the suspension of air force reservists who signed a letter calling for a deal to release captives in Gaza and end the war, attempting to reduce its reliance on reservists and put conscripts on the frontlines instead.

Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir and airforce chief Tomer Bar are set to meet with representatives of the signatories who were suspended from service over the letter, as well as other service personnel who signed follow up letters in support of the air force reservists, according to Haaretz.

Sources speaking with Haaretz said that the decision to suspend the airforce reservists was made under government pressure, and that the ramifications of the decision, which comes amid a crisis in the reserves, must be presented to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the security cabinet.

The reservist crisis, which has seen thousands sign petitions calling for an end to the war and a drop in numbers reporting for duty in the 18-month war on Gaza, has led the army to increasingly send conscripts into active combat.

The army plans to reduce the number of reservists in Gaza and reduce the number of call-up notices it sends.

Most Israeli Jews are compulsorily conscripted into the army at the age of 18, with men having to serve for two years and eight months, and women two years. After military service, Israelis remain eligible to be called up for service until the age of 40.

Israel has been hit by a wave of petitions from reservists seeking to pressure the government to end the war in order to secure the release of the remaining captives held in Gaza. The first was from a letter from air force reservists that received nearly 1,000 signatures and labelled the war as serving "political and personal interests”.

This was followed by petitions from the armoured corps, special forces, the cyber warfare unit, intelligence unit 8200, and the Talpiot technology unit, among other branches.

Some 20 percent of the thousands of signatories have been doing active service since the beginning of the war – a figure that worries the military, according to Haaretz.

As well as military petitions, there have also been civilian petitions, including from Israeli academics, healthcare professionals and literary figures, with 200 former police officers – including two police chiefs – releasing a letter on Wednesday.

Netanyahu last week condemned the letters, accusing the signatories of seeking to overthrow his far-right coalition with backing from foreign organisations.

"This is not a wave. It's not a movement. It's a small, noisy, anarchistic, and disconnected group of pensioners - most of whom haven't served in years," he added.