Two hundred doctors from various units in the Israeli army submitted a petition on Sunday demanding the return of captives held in Gaza and an end to the genocidal war in the Palestinian enclave, according to Israeli media.
“We, reserve doctors serving in various [Israel Defence Forces] units, demand the immediate return of the hostages and a cessation of fighting in the Gaza Strip,” said the signatories, as reported by Channel 13. “After more than 550 days of fighting, which has already taken a heavy toll on the country, we painfully feel that the continuation of the war is primarily serving political and personal interests without any security purpose.”
The petitioners added that, “The continuation of the war does not contribute to any of its declared goals and will lead to the deaths of the hostages, Israeli soldiers and innocent civilians, and to the attrition of the IDF reserve forces.”
They also noted that as medical officers serving in the reserves out of a commitment to the sanctity of life, they state that the continuation of the fighting and the abandonment of the captives contradicts these values.
Petitions demanding the return of the captives have been submitted by Israelis since last Thursday, ranging from army reservists who can be called up for service to retirees, including former senior commanders. An Anadolu news agency correspondent counted six petitions as of Sunday evening.
The first was signed by approximately 1,000 air force personnel and was later joined by approximately 1,000 academics from higher education institutions. The second petition was signed by hundreds of soldiers from the Armoured Corps and the Navy, the third by dozens of reserve military doctors, and the fourth by hundreds of soldiers from the 8200 Intelligence Unit.
The fifth petition was signed by hundreds of soldiers from the 8200 Intelligence Unit and special and elite forces units, such as the 13th Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade, and the Shaldag, Sayeret Matkal, and Moran units. The sixth and latest petition was signed by these doctors from various army units.
Members of the captives’ families announced their support for the petitioners, who assert that the continuation of the war on Gaza does not serve Israel’s security interests, but the personal and political interests of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.
Netanyahu, for whom an arrest warrant has been issued by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges, and his ministers threatened to dismiss the signatories of the petitions, considering them to be strengthening the enemy in times of war and describing them as rebellion and disobedience.
READ: Hamas slams Israel’s ban on Palestinian Christians celebrating Palm Sunday in Jerusalem