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"Israeli army officers refuse to serve in ‘unnecessary, eternal war’ in Gaza"
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/11/israeli-government-orders-must-not-be-obeyed-idf-intelligence-officers

"In letter to Netanyahu, 41 signatories say government’s orders are ‘clearly illegal’ and hostages have been given ‘death sentence’

Israel’s government is issuing “clearly illegal” orders that must not be obeyed, a group of Israeli military intelligence officers have said, announcing they will no longer participate in combat operations in Gaza.

In a letter addressed to Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the defence minister, Israel Katz, and the head of the military, the group of 41 officers and reservists said the government was waging an “unnecessary, eternal war” in Gaza.

The letter, which was shared online late on Tuesday, said the group would refuse to take part in a “war designed to preserve the rule of Netanyahu” and appease “anti-democratic and messianic elements in [his] government”.

The letter’s signatories are not named but are identified as members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)’s intelligence directorate, which has played a key role in the 20-month offensive in the Gaza Strip, particularly through the selection of bombing targets.

Addressing the impact of the offensive on civilians in the territory, the group wrote: “When a government acts for ulterior motives, harms civilians and leads to the killing of innocent people, the orders it issues are clearly illegal, and we must not obey them.”

The intelligence officers said Netanyahu’s government had given a “death sentence” to the Israeli hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza when it “chose to collapse” the ceasefire deal in March.

The group, which is understood to include members of the elite military surveillance division Unit 8200, claimed that “many hostages have already been killed by IDF bombings” and accused the government of continuing to “abandon their lives”.

Organised by the anti-war group Soldiers for the Hostages, the letter comes amid growing dissent within certain parts of the military over the continuation of the war in Gaza and an apparent increase in the numbers of soldiers who are refusing to fight.

Speaking to the Guardian, one of the intelligence officers who signed the letter said: “The hope is that as many people as possible will challenge the legitimacy of this operation and of this government.”

They added: “All the death is unnecessary. The hostages suffer and die. Soldiers are sent for nothing. And all the killing in Gaza, everything is completely unnecessary.”
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According to the latest figures from Gaza’s health authorities, the Israeli offensive has killed at least 55,000 people and wounded approximately 125,000. The death toll, which estimates suggest could be considerably higher, does not separate civilians from the number of militants killed.

Fifty-six hostages are still held in Gaza by Hamas militants and other armed groups after they were captured on 7 October 2023 in attacks on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people. At least 20 of the hostages are believed to still be alive, according to Israeli authorities.

The intelligence officers’ letter adds to open criticism in recent months from some quarters of the military. In April, 250 reservists and alumni from Unit 8200 urged the government to end the war, though they stopped short of calling for a general refusal to serve.

The latest statement calls on every Israeli “to do everything in their power” to oppose the war and says “some of us will refuse [to serve] publicly” while many others will refuse “in other, non-public ways”.

One intelligence officer who has recently refused to serve said they could no longer participate in a war in which the military “didn’t think twice” about harming civilians when bombing targets in Gaza.

In an interview, they said: “I felt that it was immoral and insanely excessive. I felt that they stopped thinking and feeling, and they were willing to do everything to achieve a goal that wasn’t really a real goal … and if there is a goal, it’s to try to get rid of Gaza’s population by any means.”

The IDF has been approached for comment."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/11/israeli-government-orders-must-not-be-obeyed-idf-intelligence-officers

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