Shayetet 13 commandos publish letter, joining wave of calls for hostage deal

Dozens of veterans and reservists from the Israeli Navy’s Shayetet 13 commando unit issue a statement calling for the release of the remaining hostages, even at the cost of ending the war, according to a Haaretz report.

“Stop the fighting and bring all the hostages home — every passing day puts their lives at risk,” the letter reads.

According to the letter’s organizers, 69 of the 254 signatories currently serve in active reserve duty within the unit.

The letter comes a week after IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar dismissed reservists who signed a similar petition from the air force. In recent days, similar calls to end the war for the sake of the hostages have emerged from the IDF’s elite 8200 intelligence unit, graduates of the IDF’s prestigious Talpiot program, and navy veterans.

Additionally, Haaretz reports that around 3,000 members of Israel’s healthcare system — including Nobel Prize laureates — publish a letter urging a deal to end the war and return the hostages. Over the past week, additional public statements have come from academics, educators, and writers.