The Israeli military has begun suspending reservists who threatened they would end their duty unless a prisoner exchange deal that would retrieve captives held in the Gaza Strip is achieved, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

According to the newspaper, the suspension of these soldiers, including five currently serving in the reserves, started in recent days through phone calls to all signatories of a letter addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant.

Among the reservists was one currently stationed in the Gaza Strip, the report noted.

One of the soldiers who signed the letter wrote to his friends that his commanders had questioned him about it, and he denied signing it.

Another soldier described the phone call as a "threat," while yet another said his brigade commander had a "lengthy reprimanding call" with him, informing him that they were deliberating whether to allow him to continue his service.

'The red line has already been crossed'

In the letter, 130 soldiers said that "continuing the war in Gaza not only delays the return of the hostages but also endangers their lives."

"If the government does not change course immediately and work towards securing a deal to bring the hostages home, we will not be able to continue serving," the soldiers warned.

"For some of us, the red line has already been crossed, and for others, it is rapidly approaching: the day when, with broken hearts, we will stop reporting for service." 

The group includes both reserve and regular soldiers, some of whom have fought in Gaza and on the northern front with Lebanon since October 7, 2023.

Currently, talks concerning a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal between "Israel" and the Palestinian Resistance are stalled, as the Israeli occupation forces persist with their massacres in Gaza and their aggression across Lebanon.

In August, Israeli media reported that the Israeli military threatened its soldiers with prosecution if they did not return to Gaza to continue fighting. 

Approximately 20 Israeli soldiers from an infantry brigade have refused to return to Gaza, the KAN public broadcaster mentioned, with around 10 of them receiving official warnings stating they would face prosecution for disobeying military orders.

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