Forty-one Israeli soldiers declared Tuesday they would no longer serve in the military, condemning the war in Gaza as a genocide aimed at safeguarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future rather than ensuring Israel’s security or freeing hostages.
The soldiers from Israel's intelligence and cyber warfare units sent a signed letter to Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and other Cabinet members expressing their refusal, according to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
The signatories wrote under the heading "Soldiers for the Hostages" that the renewed military campaign in Gaza is not a "security decision but a political one."
They criticized the decision to expand military operations in the Strip, asserting that the aim is to "preserve the ruling coalition, not protect Israeli citizens.”
The soldiers said they would not participate in "Netanyahu’s survival war.” Some pledged to make their refusal public, while others promised to use quieter, "gray area” forms of protest.
Zamir directed the military in early June to expand its ongoing ground offensive in the Gaza Strip to include additional areas in both the north and south, amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory.
The military claimed that the goal of the widened assault is "to create conditions for the return of the hostages and the decisive defeat of Hamas.”
Israel estimates that 56 hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 believed to be alive. Meanwhile, more than 10,100 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons under harsh conditions, including reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups.
Hamas has repeatedly offered to release all Israeli captives in exchange for an end to the war, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners. However, Netanyahu has rejected those terms, insisting on the disarmament of Palestinian resistance factions and pushing for renewed control over Gaza.
The Israeli opposition and families of the hostages have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war to appease his far-right coalition partners and maintain power.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a cease-fire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for 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 crimes against civilians in the enclave.
