More Israeli soldiers sign letter against serving without captive deal
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More Israeli soldiers sign a letter threatening to end reserve duty if the Israeli occupation government does not complete a Gaza prisoner-captive exchange deal.
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Israeli occupation soldiers from the Givati Brigade attend the funeral of a sergeant who was killed during battles in the Gaza Strip on May 31, 2024. (AP)
Israeli website Walla reported on Tuesday that an additional 15 Israeli soldiers had joined the 138 previous signatories opposing continued service without a captive deal that ensures the return of Israeli captives held in Gaza. Among the latest signers, two are active-duty soldiers, including one woman.
Some of the signatories indicated that their signatures represent the end of their current service, while others expressed that they are nearing a breaking point, as previously reported by The Jerusalem Post.
The letter, addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Security Minister Yoav Gallant, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and government members, called for the end of the war, “We, the reservists and active-duty soldiers, officers, and soldiers, hereby declare that we cannot continue like this. The war in Gaza sentences our brothers and sisters, the hostages, to death,” the letter reads.
Read next: 'Israel' threatens prosecution of soldiers refusing to return to Gaza
The letter did not specify a date by which they would stop their service, but they warned that it is approaching. “We, who serve and have served with dedication, risking our lives, hereby declare that if the government does not change direction immediately and work to promote a deal to bring the hostages home, we will no longer be able to serve. For some of us, the red line has already been crossed; for others, it is approaching: the day is near when, with broken hearts, we will stop showing up for duty. We call on the government: sign now on a deal to save the lives of the hostages.”
Among the signatories is a female lieutenant occupation officer who expressed her loss of confidence in the Israeli government. She explains that as negotiations failed, she lost trust in the government and its alleged efforts on a political level, adding, "The thought that, as a commander, the government isn’t doing everything to bring them back raises doubts... I feel a crisis in my relationship with the state and the army.”
Another soldier stressed, "I stand behind this choice. I signed the letter, and I’ve decided that, no matter what, I will not extend my service."
Israeli military suspending reservists
The Israeli military has begun suspending reservists who threatened they would end their duty unless a prisoner-captive 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 Netanyahu and 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.
