First, it was the Air Force and its pilots. Then, officers from the Navy, armored units, paratroopers and special forces. Now, senior officials from intelligence services (Mossad and Shin Bet) have joined. Since Thursday, April 10, thousands of reservists and retirees from various branches of the Israeli army and security services have expressed themselves through open letters published in the press. They condemn the stalemate in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's strategy in the war against Hamas in Gaza, particularly since the end of the ceasefire on March 18 and the resumption of military operations.

"We, the aircrew in the reserves and retired, demand the immediate return of the hostages even at the cost of an immediate cessation of hostilities," reads the text made public by the reservists. "Currently, the war serves mainly political and personal interests, not security interests," the signatories emphasize. "As has been proven in the past, only a [ceasefire] deal can bring back the hostages safely, while military pressure mainly leads to the killing of the hostages and the endangerment of our soldiers." Fifty-nine hostages, of whom 24 are believed to still be alive, remain captive in Gaza under extremely difficult conditions by Hamas. At least 1,613 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire was broken, bringing the total number of deaths in Gaza to nearly 51,000 in response to the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, according to figures provided by the Hamas Health Ministry.

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