The Israeli army has dismissed nearly 1,000 reserve soldiers who wrote letters calling for an end to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.
The country’s army chief of staff, General Eyal Zamir, approved their dismissal on Thursday.
Earlier this week, several hundred members of the Israeli Air Force (IAF), including many of those dismissed, signed an open letter. In the letter, they described the ongoing war in Gaza as “not for security, but for political and personal interests.”
They also wrote that it is not possible to free prisoners by continuing the war, but that it can only be resolved through a ceasefire.
Israeli army chief General Zamir called the letter a “serious crime.” According to him, those who made such statements do not deserve to return to the army.
On the other hand, Defense Minister Israel Katz also strongly condemned the letter signed by the soldiers, saying it was an attempt to question the legality of the war.
According to Israeli media, the signatories to the letter include former army chief Lt. Gen. (retd.) Dan Halutz, former air force chief Maj. Gen. (retd.) Nimrod Shafer, and former head of the Civil Aviation Authority Col. (retd.) Neri Yarkoni.
In the letter, they called on all Israeli citizens to exert all-out pressure to stop the fighting and return the prisoners.
According to the Israeli military, about 10 percent of the signatories to the letter are still on active reserve duty, while the rest are former or retired military personnel. Source: Middle East Monitor