Excerpts from two The Times of Israel reports:
Despite IAF pressure, reservists, veterans publish letter demanding prioritizing hostages over fighting
A group of close to 1,000 current and retired reservists with the Israeli Air Force publish a letter demanding the return of the hostages in Gaza, even if it comes at the cost of ending the war against Hamas entirely.
The letter does not call for a general refusal to serve, as previously reported, but instead urges the government to prioritize the release of hostages over the continuation of the war in Gaza, which the signatories argue now serves “political and personal interests” rather than national security.
“The continuation of the war doesn’t advance any of the declared goals of the war, and will bring about the deaths of the hostages, of IDF soldiers and innocent civilians,” reads the letter, which was published as an ad in a number of Israeli newspapers.
www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/despite-iaf-pressure-pilots-aircrew-publish-letter-demanding-return-of-hostages-even-at-cost-of-ending-war/
Air Force to dismiss reservists who signed letter demanding prioritization of hostages over fighting
Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar is set to dismiss active reservists who signed a letter demanding prioritizing the return of the hostages in Gaza over continuing the fight against Hamas.
The IDF says it has no issue with reservists protesting any matter in their civilian lives, as long as they do it without using the name of the military or their role.
The letter, with around 1,000 signatories, was signed by “air personnel in reserves and retirement.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/air-force-to-dismiss-reservists-who-signed-letter-demanding-prioritization-of-hostages-over-fighting/
From Haaretz briefing:
HOSTAGES/CEASE-FIRE: Over 250 reservists and alumni of Unit 8200, an elite Israeli military intelligence unit, published a letter expressing solidarity with the call of air force reservists and former soldiers to secure the hostages' release, "even at the price of an immediate change in the war," prompting Netanyahu to release a statement denouncing them.
- The reservists' letter said the Gaza war was mostly serving "political and personal interests and not security interests," and that its continuation would not only fail to fulfill the goals of the war but also kill hostages, soldiers and civilians.
- Netanyahu said the letters were written by "a small group of radicals" backed by "foreign-funded organizations" whose sole goal was to bring down his government.
Also,
A survey found that 68 percent of the Israeli public thinksreturning the hostages is a more pressing priority than toppling Hamas – up from 62 percent in September and 51 percent in January 2024. The March 2025 Israeli Voice Index survey, conducted by the Viterbi Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research, found that 25 percent said that the state should prioritize toppling Hamas.