Air Force members said increasingly asking whether Gaza strikes are justified

Channel 13’s defense analyst Alon Ben David says he’s spoken to Israeli Air Force members who are beginning to express their discomfort about some of the strikes they’ve been carrying out in Gaza as of late.

There is an understanding among these air force members that Israel is now in a war of its choosing — as opposed to shortly after October 7, 2023, when Israel’s operations in Gaza seemed less politically motivated, Ben David says.

The shift has led to discomfort among these air force members who know that their strikes are killing hundreds of Palestinians, “and they’re asking themselves whether it is justified and whether it serves a purpose,” he continues.

The IDF says it takes steps to avoid civilian casualties, while Hamas hides among them, but the army hasn’t denied that scores of civilians in Gaza have been killed in its strikes, particularly as of late.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the IDF pressure is designed to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages.

Hamas says it is prepared to release the hostages in exchange for an end to the war — a trade Netanyahu has refused, arguing that it leaves Hamas in power. But a growing number of critics argue that Israel’s military strategy lacks a clear end game and is being guided by Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners, who want to permanently reoccupy Gaza and kick out all of its Palestinians.