Hundreds of reservists and retired officers in Israel’s air force signed a letter on Thursday urging the Israeli government to agree to a deal with Hamas to return hostages to Israel, even at the price of stopping the war in Gaza.
The letter, signed by roughly a thousand people, including a former chief of staff and other former senior military leaders, laid bare a growing divide in the Israeli military over the handling of the war. The air force has been a key part of Israel’s effort in Gaza, carrying out airstrikes that have flattened much of the enclave and left thousands dead.
The appeal immediately drew a rebuke from the Israeli prime minister’s office, which said that “statements that weaken the Israel Defense Forces and strengthen our enemy during wartime” were “unforgivable.”
The Israeli military said it had decided to discharge active-duty reservists who signed the letter. It was not clear how many signatories were active-duty reservists, whether the military had already discontinued their service and what the exact effect on the military’s operation would be.
The letter is an unusually large-scale show of criticism from members of the air force about the way the war has been run. But this military branch, in particular, has previously been a notable voice of opposition to the government.
Air force pilots threatened to stop serving in the military during nationwide protests in 2023 against deeply divisive government efforts to reduce the power of institutions that had acted as a check on his government, including the Supreme Court.
The campaign was suspended after the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, but last month the government returned to the effort, passing legislation that gave politicians more control over choosing judges.
The letter on Thursday claimed that continuing the war would lead to the deaths of the hostages and argued that it was driven by political rather than security interests.
“Stop the fighting and return all of the hostages — now!” it said. “Every day that passes endangers their lives.”
Critics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel have accused him of prioritizing his political survival over the return of the hostages. Mr. Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have threatened to leave the coalition if he ends the war without having defeated Hamas.
Maj. Gen. Nimrod Sheffer, a retired senior air force officer, said he had signed the letter because he felt the hostages in Gaza were becoming increasingly vulnerable. The Israeli government has said it believes 24 of the remaining 59 hostages to be alive.
“It is immoral to abandon 59 hostages in Gaza,” General Sheffer said in a phone interview. “Someone needs to say loud and clear that they need to come home,” he added. “We can’t stay quiet anymore.”
