Israeli army pilots protest Gaza reoccupation plan because of risks to captives

The reservists and retiree pilots declared their support for Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who opposes expanding the war and favors a deal to secure the captives’ release from Gaza, according to the Maariv newspaper.

Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan on Friday to reoccupy Gaza -- a move that sparked domestic protests, with critics calling it a “death sentence” for the captives.

Israeli media reported tensions between Zamir and Netanyahu since the prime minister proposed his plan to reoccupy Gaza, which Israel previously controlled for 38 years from 1967 and 2005.

Under the plan, the first stage would force 1 million residents out of Gaza City to the south, encircle the city, and launch incursions into residential areas. The second stage would involve seizing central refugee camps, many of which have already suffered widespread destruction during the war.

Zamir, in contrast, has put forward a “siege plan” with multiple operational axes in Gaza aimed at applying military pressure on Hamas to force the release of captives without falling into what he calls “strategic traps.”

The pilots said that “the ongoing war in Gaza is exacting an unbearable toll on the captives, who have been in captivity for 676 days.”

Tel Aviv estimates that 50 Israeli captives are being held in Gaza, including 20 who are alive. More than 10,800 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israel, where they suffer torture, starvation and medical neglect that has claimed numerous lives, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.

The pilots added that the war “puts our soldiers at unnecessary risk, inflicts needless harm on a large number of innocent civilians, and drags Israel’s standing in the world to an unprecedented low.”

They stressed the need to end “this unnecessary war of folly.”

In rejection of Netanyahu’s plan, families of the captives and soldiers killed in Gaza announced Sunday they plan to stage a nationwide strike and bring public life to a halt on Aug. 17. Companies and universities later announced their intention to participate.

Israel is facing mounting condemnation for its genocidal war on Gaza, where it has killed nearly 61,600 victims since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.