Occupied Quds - Saba:
150 Israeli naval officers signed a letter to the Israeli Prime Minister and war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu, his Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, members of the Knesset, and the Israeli army leadership, demanding an end to the war in Gaza.
The text of the letter, published by Israeli media, stated that 59 prisoners remain in Hamas tunnels, while the government reneges on its commitment to their return.
The letter is part of a wave of letters and petitions signed by thousands of military personnel, diplomats, and academics from various political factions in Israel, all of which focus on the same demand: to stop the war and return the prisoners, considering that its continuation serves factional political interests and is leading the entity to collapse.
Earlier, approximately 3,500 Israeli academics and more than 3,000 education professionals signed petitions calling on the Israeli government to immediately seek the return of prisoners held in the Gaza Strip, even if this requires a cessation of hostilities.
The move, reported by Yedioth Ahronoth, reveals growing rifts among the Israeli public regarding the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip and places further pressure on the Israeli government in light of mounting casualties and international pressure.
The Israeli newspaper reported earlier today that more than 1,600 veterans of the paratrooper and infantry brigades of the Israeli army signed a letter calling for the return of all prisoners from Gaza, "even if it means stopping the war."
In a related development, Israeli Army Radio reported that approximately 170 graduates of the "Talpiot" program of the Israeli military intelligence (Aman) signed a letter demanding the release of prisoners by ending the war.
On April 11, approximately 1,000 reservists and retirees from the Israeli Air Force signed a letter calling for a ceasefire to free prisoners in Gaza. They were followed by 150 former naval officers and dozens of armored personnel.
On April 12, they were joined by approximately 100 reserve military doctors, hundreds of reservists from the 8200 Intelligence Unit, and 2,000 faculty members from Israeli institutions of higher education. Netanyahu and his government ministers threatened to expel the signatories of these petitions, considering them to "strengthen the enemy in times of war," describing them as "rebellion" and "disobedience."
According to Israeli estimates, 59 Israeli prisoners remain in the Gaza Strip, including 24 living prisoners.
The death toll from the ongoing Israeli military aggression on the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, has risen to 50,983 martyrs and 116,274 wounded.
| more of (International) |