Hundreds of reservists and retired officers in Israel’s air force signed a letter on Thursday urging the Israeli government to agree to a deal with Hamas to return hostages, even at the price of stopping the war in Gaza.

The letter, which was signed by roughly a thousand people, including a former chief of staff and other former senior military leaders, laid bare a growing divide in the Israeli military over the handling of the war. The air force has been a key part of Israel’s effort in Gaza, carrying out strikes that have flattened much of the enclave and left thousands dead.

The appeal reflected heightened concern about the fate of the hostages after a shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in mid-March. The hostages have been in the captivity of militants in Gaza for more than 18 months.

The letter immediately drew a rebuke from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, which said that “statements that weaken the Israel Defence Forces and strengthen our enemy during wartime” were “unforgivable”.

The Israeli military said it had decided to discharge active-duty reservists who signed the letter, though the numbers that could be dismissed were not expected to be high. Most of the people who signed the list were not active duty, the military said. The timing of the dismissals was not clear.

The letter was an unusually large-scale show of criticism from members of the air force about the way the war has been run. The military branch, in particular, has been a notable voice of opposition to the government.

Air force pilots threatened to stop serving in the military during nationwide protests in 2023 against deeply divisive government efforts to reduce the power of institutions, including the Supreme Court, that had acted as a check on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

The campaign was suspended after the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, but last month the government returned to the effort, passing legislation that gave politicians more control over choosing judges.

At key points throughout the war, top military officials have pressed for a ceasefire behind the scenes, hoping to bring home more hostages and give weary troops a break. In January, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire, but the war resumed after Israel and Hamas failed to extend it.

The letter on Thursday claimed that continuing the war would lead to the deaths of the hostages and argued that it was driven by political interests, rather than security.

“Stop the fighting and return all of the hostages — now!” it said. “Every day that passes endangers their lives.”

Critics of Netanyahu have accused him of prioritising his political survival over the return of the hostages. Netanyahu’s far-Right coalition partners have threatened to leave the coalition if he ends the war without defeating Hamas.

Maj. Gen. Nimrod Sheffer, a former senior air force officer, said he had signed the letter because he felt the hostages in Gaza were becoming increasingly vulnerable. The Israeli government has said it believes 24 of the remaining 59 hostages to be alive.

“It is immoral to abandon 59 hostages in Gaza,” General Sheffer said in a phone interview. “Someone needs to say loud and clear that they need to come home,” he added. “We can’t stay quiet anymore.”

New York Times News Service