Hundreds of former Mossad officials have joined the protest movement against the resumption of war in Gaza, joining a long line of air force veterans and reservists who voiced criticism of the war.
According to the Guardian, frustration is mounting in Israel over the failure of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to bring the remaining hostages back home after 18 months of fighting.
Gaza War Criticism
Over 250 former operatives from Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, including 3 ex-chiefs, expressed their support for a letter signed by air force reservists and veterans, calling on the Israeli government to prioritize the release of hostages over fighting Hamas.
The letter received the backing of many reservists in the Israeli military, including reservists from Israel’s elite Unit 8200, the biggest military intelligence unit, and hundreds of reservist doctors, who made several statements to support the letter.
Letters of Protest
Last week, around 1,000 of Israeli Air Force reservists and retirees signed a letter criticizing the military and Netanyahu’s government for fighting a war for merely political purposes and putting the lives of soldiers and hostages at risk for personal gains.
“At this time, the war mainly serves political and personal interests and not security interests. The continuation of the war does not contribute to any of its stated goals and will lead to the death of abductees, (Israeli military) soldiers and innocent civilians, and to the attrition of reservists,” the letter said.
On Monday, another letter called for immediately ending the Gaza war. More than 1,500 former and current armored corps soldiers and paratroopers in the Israeli military, including two former military chiefs of staff, signed the letter, authored by the Israeli military’s former deputy commander, Col. Rami Matan.
The letter said: “We are soldiers who have served our country all our lives. We have driven tanks, commanded troops, and paid a heavy price. It is precisely this experience that pushes us today to call for a ceasefire. Why do we continue to sacrifice human lives for unattainable objectives?”
Fierce Response
Reservists who signed the first letter faced harsh response as the Israeli military fired them. “It is impossible for someone who works a shift in (an Air Force) pit to later come out and express a lack of confidence in the mission. This is an impossible anomaly,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
Furthermore, Netanyahu strongly condemned the letter, accusing signatories of being a “radical, marginal group” who tries to fracture the Israeli society from within. “Expressions that weaken the (Israeli military) and strengthen our enemies in wartime are unforgivable,” he said.
Negotiations Stalemate
Negotiations between Hamas and Israel have been taking place in Cairo, with the mediation of Egypt, Qatar and the US, in an attempt to restore ceasefire in Gaza after the deal collapsed in March and Israel resumed air and ground operations in the Strip.
In the light of this, Egyptian and Qatari mediators presented a new Israeli proposal to Hamas on Monday, reported Al-Qahera News. The Palestinian movement said it was studying the proposal and would submit its response “as soon as possible.”
Hamas insists that the ceasefire agreement must put an end to the war and guarantee a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. However, Israel says it will not end the war until it eliminates Hamas and returns the remaining hostages.
According to Reuters, the new proposal calls for disarming Hamas in the next phase of negotiations, a demand that the Palestinian movement completely rejects. Commenting on the proposal, senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, said: “Handing over the resistance’s weapons is a million red lines and is not subject to consideration, let alone discussion.”
Palestinian and Egyptian sources told Reuters that the latest round of talks in Cairo ended with no apparent breakthroughs. As a result, Hamas will send a delegation to Qatar to resume negotiations with Israel over the terms of the new ceasefire, which includes a proposal to release 8-10 Israeli hostages, the Associated Press (AP) reported quoting a Hamas official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
