Gaza, MINA – Hundreds of Israeli soldiers signed a new petition on Friday demanding the government reach a prisoner swap deal and end the war in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reported.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that the soldiers who signed the letter come from various divisions and specialties in the army, including intelligence unit 8200, special forces, and elite units such as Sayeret Matkal, Shayetet, and Shaldag.
KAN added that between 20% to 30% of the signees are active reservist soldiers.
According to Anadolu’s count, six petitions have been signed since Thursday. The first was signed by around 1,000 Air Force personnel and was later joined by 1,000 academics. The second by hundreds of armored corps and navy servicemembers; the third by dozens of reserve military doctors; the fourth by hundreds of members of the army’s intelligence unit 8200; the fifth by nearly 100 military doctors; and the sixth by hundreds from various units, including special and elite forces.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed in several statements to dismiss any active soldiers who sign petitions.
The Israeli army resumed its assault on Gaza on March 18, breaking a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement reached on January 19.
Nearly 51,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. The military offensive has devastated the enclave and made it nearly uninhabitable. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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