Israel fires 15 air force officers who called for end to Gaza war

The Israeli military on Friday dismissed 15 air force officers, one of them a brigadier general, after they signed a petition calling for an end to the war on Gaza and the release of captives held by Hamas there, Israeli media reported.

The Yedioth Ahronoth news site reported that some of the officers were supposed to be involved in the attack on Iran in June but were not called up for reserve duty at the time due to their opposition to continuing the war.

The 12-day war with Iran saw Israel bomb military and civilian infrastructure, killing hundreds of people. Iran responded by attacking Israeli military and intelligence sites with ballistic missiles and drones.

The officers, who hold various ranks, have since called on the army to reverse its decision and reinstate them to service.

A source who spoke to Yedioth Ahronoth said that the officers had all served in the reserves until the start of the war on Gaza.

The report further states that 17 other air force reservists who signed the petition were suspended from duty; however, some were reinstated to their positions after agreeing to remove their signatures from the petition.

The officers were dismissed from duty without being given a reason or opportunity for a hearing, which reports said is a violation of administrative laws.

The latest development comes after Israeli soldiers in the last few months have increasingly voiced their concerns over the continuation of the war and urged for Israeli captives held in Gaza to be freed in a deal.

Earlier this year, in April, around 1,000 reservists and former Air Force staff signed a letter demanding a ceasefire. An additional 100 military doctors from the Israeli Intelligence Unit also joined the calls.

"As medical officers, we serve in the reserves out of a commitment to the sanctity of life," the doctors wrote. "We warn that continuing the fighting and abandoning the captives is contrary to these values."

According to Israel's Army Radio, the signatories believe the ongoing military campaign "does not contribute to any of its stated goals".

Those who signed the petitions asserted that continuing the war no longer serves the initial objectives since the start of the war. Signatories include two former Israeli army chiefs of staff, Ehud Barak - who was also prime minister of Israel between 1999 and 2001 - and Dan Halutz.

Over 1,600 veterans of the paratroopers and infantry brigades also signed a letter demanding that the captives are freed, even if it means that the war comes to an end.

Academics, too, have joined the calls, with 2,000 faculty members joining anti-war protests in recent months.

The anti-war movement is growing in Israel; however, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly cracked down on protesters and warned that soldiers on active duty who participate in such petitions could face dismissal.

The Israeli army has also reported a sharp increase in suicides among soldiers in 2024, with 21 taking their own lives, the highest toll in over a decade.

Among the 21 soldiers who died by suicide, 12 were reservists, a consequence of the Israeli military’s increased reliance on reserve forces since the start of its war on Gaza.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed over 62,000 Palestinians since October 2023 and plunged the enclave into a deep humanitarian crisis. The war has been determined to be a genocide by rights groups, NGOs, and many governments around the world.