Civil pilots, ex-soldiers and bereaved families join public calls for hostage deal
‘Return all the hostages even at the cost of ending the war. Every day that passes endangers their lives,’ write some 300 Israeli pilots, joining trend started by Air Force members
Some 300 civilian pilots signed their names to a public letter published Thursday urging a hostage deal, even at the cost of ending the war. Similar letters published Thursday were signed by hundreds of ex-soldiers and bereaved family members of fallen soldiers.
The newest letters were just the latest in a trend that began last week, with a letter by members of the Air Force, most of them retired, urging an end to the war if that’s the only way to get back the 59 hostages — 24 living and 35 confirmed dead — still held captive by terror groups in the Gaza Strip.
The Air Force letter was quickly emulated by people from other branches of the military, as well as groups from a variety of civilian professions.
About 300 pilots, active and retired, from Israeli airlines, including Arkia, Israir, Air Haifa and companies that operate private jets, signed the new letter published Thursday.
They make up about a third of Israeli pilots, according to Channel 12.
“We, civil pilots from Israeli airlines, active and retired, support the call for the return of all the hostages without delay. This is the most urgent and most important goal. We call on the leadership: Return all the hostages, even at the cost of ending the war. Every day that passes endangers their lives,” the pilots wrote.
More letters were published Thursday calling for a hostage deal, even at the cost of ending the war, were signed by hundreds of former IDF soldiers, including senior officers and bereaved families of fallen soldiers.
A letter signed by 458 former members of the Golani Brigade urged the immediate return of the hostages, even at the expense of the cessation of fighting.
Signatories included former IDF Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. (res.) Uri Sagi, former Central Command head Maj. Gen. (res.) Ilan Biran, and Maayan and Ron Kehati, whose son Sgt. Gur Kehati was killed in Lebanon in November.
Another letter, signed by 315 former members of reconnaissance and infantry units, states: “This is the top-priority mission, these are the values that guide us, and this is our moral duty as a nation. This is a call to save lives.”
Most of the signatories to that letter are not currently serving in the reserves, Ynet noted.
The letters have not called for a general refusal to serve, but have sparked outrage in the government, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissing them as “noisy” anarchists.
Amid the mass protests against the government’s judicial overhaul plan in 2023, several groups of reservists, including in the IAF, issued statements saying they would refuse to serve under a regime they no longer viewed as democratic.
The Times of Israel Community.