Israeli Air Force Commander tells reservists calling for end of war they can no longer serve in military

Israeli Air Force Commander Tomer Bar warned reservists who signed a public letter calling for an end to the war in Gaza that they would no longer be permitted to serve in the military, as reported by Yedioth Ahronoth on Friday.

In a Passover holiday letter sent to Air Force personnel, Bar wrote that Israel had marked 18 months since the start of what he described as a "justified, long, complex and demanding" war. He criticised the letter, saying it “expresses a lack of trust and damages unity within the corps”.

“There is no place for such publications during wartime,” Bar said. “Active reservists who signed the letter will not be able to continue serving in the IDF.”

Almost 1,000 Israeli Air Force reservists and retirees signed the letter, published in Israeli media on Thursday, demanding the immediate return of the captives in Gaza, even at the cost of ending the fighting. “The continuation of the war doesn’t contribute to any of the declared objectives, and will lead to the death of hostages, (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers, and of innocents,” the authors wrote.