Ex-Israeli Air Force chief dismissed from reserves after signing anti-war petition

Former Israeli Air Force Chief Maj. Gen. (res.) Nimrod Sheffer announced Saturday that he was dismissed from military reserve service after signing a petition calling on the government to end the war in Gaza to secure the return of hostages.

“I was dismissed from the reserves because of the petition,” Sheffer told Israel’s Channel 12.

The petition, submitted by a group of reserve and retired Israeli Air Force officers, was addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. It marked the first public appeal by military figures to prioritize the hostages’ return over continuing the military campaign in Gaza.

As of Saturday, nearly 140,000 Israelis had signed various petitions demanding the return of hostages from Gaza, even at the cost of ending the war. In the past 24 hours alone, more than 10,000 new signatories joined the campaign. The total reached 138,434 by Saturday morning, up from 128,114 on Friday.

The campaign is coordinated through the platform Restored Israel, which has seen growing support across Israeli society. The number of active petitions available for public signature rose from 47 on Friday to 50 by Saturday, including 21 launched by former or reserve Israeli military personnel.

Netanyahu threatens to dismiss service members

Despite warnings from Netanyahu, more current and former soldiers have continued joining the initiative. Netanyahu had previously threatened to dismiss service members who publicly oppose the war or support petitions aimed at halting it.

According to campaign organizers, 127,255 of the signatories are civilians, while 11,179 are current or former members of the military. Among the civilians are 73,599 Israeli citizens, 1,500 parents of active-duty soldiers, and 1,300 relatives of soldiers killed in combat.

Support for the initiative spans wide sectors of Israeli society, including teachers, academics, doctors, artists, lawyers, and tech professionals. Among military signatories, paratroopers form the largest group with 2,151 signatures, followed by 1,700 from the Armored Corps, 1,600 from military intelligence Unit 8200, 791 from special forces, 612 from the artillery division, 553 from the elite Golani Brigade, and 312 from the naval commando unit Shayetet 13.

Several high-profile former military leaders have also signed the petitions, including former Prime Minister and Chief of General Staff Ehud Barak, former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, former Southern Command head Amram Mitzna, former Central Command head Avi Mizrahi, and former military intelligence chief Amos Malka.

Disciplinary action against petitions

Israeli media reported Friday that disciplinary action had begun against military doctors who signed the petitions.

The move follows Netanyahu’s accusation that the petitioners are engaging in insubordination, allegedly supported by foreign-funded organizations seeking to overthrow his government, in power since late 2022.

Israeli authorities currently believe 24 of the 59 remaining hostages in Gaza are still alive. Meanwhile, more than 9,500 Palestinians remain imprisoned in Israeli jails, amid widespread reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect that have led to deaths in custody.

An initial cease-fire and prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel, brokered by Egypt and Qatar with U.S. support, began on Jan. 19 but was broken by Israel in mid-March.

Since October 2023, more than 51,000 Palestinians — the majority women and children — have been killed in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Separately, Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war on the enclave.