Israeli military doctors call for end to Gaza war to secure hostage release

JERISALEM / ISTANBUL

Two hundred Israeli military doctors have signed a petition demanding the return of hostages from Gaza, even if it means ending the ongoing war in the Palestinian enclave, according to a report Sunday by Israel’s Channel 13.

“We, reserve doctors in the various units in the Israeli army, demand the immediate return of the captives and an end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip,” the doctors wrote in the petition.

The petition reflects mounting frustration within Israeli ranks, with the doctors emphasizing that the war has strayed from its stated goals.

“After more than 550 days of fighting that have already taken a heavy toll on Israel, we feel with pain that the continued fighting in Gaza is intended primarily to serve political and personal interests without a security purpose,” they said.

“Approximately 40 hostages have been killed during the ground fighting. As medical officers, we serve in the reserve force out of a commitment to the sanctity of life. We warn that continuing the fighting and abandoning the captives is contrary to these values,” the petition stated.

This petition is part of a wider wave of public appeals from current and former Israeli military personnel, all demanding that hostage recovery take precedence --even at the cost of ending the war.

Since Thursday, at least six petitions have circulated, according to an Anadolu count.

The first was signed by 1,000 Israeli Air Force reservists, and later supported by nearly 1,000 academics. Others followed from armored corps, navy, and elite military units, including Unit 8200, Paratroopers’ 13th Battalion, Shaldag, Sayeret Matkal, and Moran. A separate petition from dozens of military doctors preceded the current one.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has responded by threatening to dismiss active-duty soldiers who sign petitions.

The Israeli army renewed its assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering a Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

Nearly 51,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.