1,400 IDF reserve officers, including close to 60 generals and 140 Colonels, have called for an end to the war in Gaza, describing it as having become “political and corrupt”.
An open letter, with signatories including former IDF Chiefs of Staff Dan Halutz and Moshe Ya’alon, the latter of whom also previously served as Israel’s Minister of Defence, says that “at this stage, the war no longer serves the security of Israel…continuing the war against the will of the majority of the public will result in the deaths of the hostages, IDF soldiers and innocent civilians, and could lead to the commission of war crimes.”
It goes on to warn of “dangerous signs of religious extremism” within Israel, citing the Jerusalem Day “Flag March” through the Old City, and “calls to carry out actions that would drive out the Gazan population.”
The letter, which was published in today’s Israel Hayom newspaper, ends by saying: “Our existence as a society and as a State is founded in faith in the righteous path… in the preservation of the values of Jewish morality, and in the deep commitment to the value of human life.”
The letter comes as international opposition grows to the continuation of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The UK, France and Canada have publicly called to an end to the war, while this week German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Israel’s actions in Gaza “no longer reveal any logic to me… it seems to me that the time has come when I must say publicly — what is currently happening is no longer comprehensible.”
In recent years, Germany has been one of Israel’s strongest defenders in Europe, but Merz’s comments suggest a shift, further confirmed by a statement made by the country’s Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul. Speaking to German broadcaster WDR, Wadephul said that “our committed fight against antisemitism and our full support for the right to exist and the security of the State of Israel must not be instrumentalized for the conflict and the warfare currently being waged in the Gaza Strip.” He went on to say that “we are now at a point where we have to think very carefully about what further steps to take.”
