The protest expands: Veterans from various military and security units support pilots’ letter calling to end the war

Current and former service members from various IDF units, as well as other security bodies such as the Mossad, have in recent days expressed their support for the "Pilots' Letter," which calls for a hostage deal even at the cost of ending the war.

A letter from paratrooper veterans was published this morning (Monday), signed by more than 1,600 reservists and retired soldiers.

So far, a similar letter has been signed by former Mossad members, including heads and deputy heads of divisions, about 1,500 tank corps reservists and retirees, Talpiot program graduates, Unit 8200 alumni, graduates of the National Defense College, and Sayeret Shaldag veterans.

Navy

Following the publication of the Pilots' Letter, naval reservist officers began collecting signatures for their own petition. The letter, addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset members, the IDF high command, and the Israeli public, states, "The goals of the war – returning the hostages and restoring security – have not been achieved. We call for an end to the war. We bear the burden. The responsibility is yours."

Intelligence Directorate

Reservist officers in IDF intelligence collection units, along with active-duty personnel and retired officers, gathered hundreds of signatures intending to publish a statement similar to the one published by the Air Force.

In their declaration, which closely echoes the content of the other letters, the officers wrote, "We identify with the grave and troubling statement that the war at this time primarily serves political and personal interests, not security interests. Continuing the war contributes nothing to its declared goals and will result in the deaths of hostages, IDF soldiers, and innocent civilians. We are deeply concerned by the erosion of the reservist system and the rising rates of non-compliance, and we worry about the long-term consequences of this trend."

Mossad

About 250 former Mossad employees, including three former Mossad directors, published a petition supporting the Pilots’ Letter. The petition reads: "We, the undersigned, former members of the Mossad for Intelligence and Special Operations – some of those whom you [Netanyahu] called ‘weeds’ – express our full support for the Pilots' Letter, which also reflects our deep concern for the future of the state. We join the call to immediately reach an agreement to bring all 59 hostages home without delay, even at the cost of halting the fighting."

Paratroopers

About 1,500 former paratroopers signed their own petition calling for a hostage deal and an end to the war:
"We, the fighters and commanders of the paratroopers who have fought for many years, can no longer stand idly by. Our call is not directed at the army or its leadership. This is not a call for refusal. This is a call to save lives! As has been proven in the past, only an agreement can bring the hostages back safely."

Armored Corps

"We express our full support for the Pilots’ Letter and the Air Force fighters. We firmly believe that the State of Israel must do everything to bring the hostages back, even at the cost of ending the fighting. This call is not an act of refusal. It is a legitimate expression of opinion by citizens who are no longer in active service," reads the letter signed by approximately 1,500 people from the Armored Corps.

Higher Education Institutions

Around 2,000 faculty members from institutions of higher education signed a petition supporting the Pilots’ letter. "At this time, the war primarily serves political and personal interests, not security interests," the petition states.

The Pilots’ Letter

About a week ago, Kan 11's Evening News first reported on the letter that caused an uproar within the Air Force leadership, signed by IAF pilots calling for an end to the fighting in Gaza.

"At this time, the war primarily serves political interests and not security interests. Continuing the war contributes nothing to its stated objectives and will lead to the deaths of hostages, IDF soldiers, and innocent civilians, and to the erosion of the reservist system," the letter read.

According to one of the signatories, although the letter includes no threat of refusal to serve, Maj.-Gen. Tomer Bar warned that anyone who signs it would not be allowed to continue serving in the reserves within the Air Force.

Netanyahu’s Harsh Response: “Weeds”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the various protest letters.

"The public no longer buys into the propaganda lies echoed by the media. These letters were not written on behalf of our heroic soldiers. They were written by a small group of weeds, operated by NGOs funded by foreign sources whose sole aim is to bring down the right-wing government. This is a small, loud, anarchist, and disconnected group of retirees – most of whom haven’t served in years."

"These weeds are trying to weaken the State of Israel and the IDF, encouraging our enemies to strike us. They already sent a message of weakness to our enemies once. We will not let them do it again. The citizens of Israel have learned the lesson – refusal is refusal, no matter what sugarcoated name it is given.
Anyone who encourages refusal – will be dismissed immediately," Netanyahu said.