Israeli Air Force veterans criticize Gaza war resumption

Nearly 1,000 current and former members of the Israeli Air Force have signed a letter condemning the renewed military campaign in Gaza, sparking a backlash from the government and military leadership.

The signatories accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of continuing the war to serve “political and personal interests,” rather than Israel’s security.

They urged leaders to prioritize a deal to free all hostages held in Gaza, even if it means ending the war against Hamas. Continued fighting, they warned, could cost the lives of hostages, Israeli soldiers and innocent civilians.

Most of those who signed are retired personnel, though some active reservists are reportedly among them. The Air Force plans to dismiss any serving members who participated, a move backed by Netanyahu on Thursday.

He denounced the group as a “radical fringe” aiming to “overthrow” the government, saying the letter undermines the military and emboldens Israel’s enemies.

Some of the signatories rejected the accusations. “The letter expresses the feelings of a very large part of the public,” said Amnon Scharabi at a press conference. The reservists are not concerned about the air force or the pilots, “but about the 59 hostages who should have been released some time ago,” he said.

Critics of Netanyahu accuse him of reigniting the conflict to preserve his political future.

His government faced the risk of collapse if a state budget wasn’t passed by the end of March – and failure would have triggered new elections. To secure the budget, Netanyahu needed the support of a far-right minister who had quit in protest over the ceasefire with Hamas. That minister rejoined the coalition after the fighting resumed in mid-March.

Meanwhile, Israeli media report growing resistance among reservists, some of whom are refusing to return to duty over concerns about the army’s direction and fears of a potential reoccupation of Gaza.