Nearly 1,000 current and former members of the Israeli Air Force have signed a letter condemning the renewed military campaign in Gaza, sparking backlash from the government and military leadership.
The signatories accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of continuing the war to serve "political and personal interests," rather than Israel's security.
They urged leaders to prioritise a deal to free all hostages held in Gaza, even if it means ending the war against Hamas. Continued fighting, they warned, could cost the lives of hostages, Israeli soldiers and innocent civilians.
Most of those who signed are retired personnel, though some active reservists are reportedly among them. The Air Force plans to dismiss any serving members who participated, a move backed by Netanyahu on Thursday.
He denounced the group as a "radical fringe" aiming to "overthrow" the government, saying the letter undermines the military and emboldens Israel's enemies.
Critics of Netanyahu accuse him of reigniting the conflict to preserve his political future.
His government faced the risk of collapse if a state budget wasn't passed by the end of March - and failure would have triggered new elections. To secure the budget, Netanyahu needed the support of afar-right minister who had quit in protest over the ceasefire with Hamas. That minister rejoined the coalition after the fighting resumed in mid-March.
Meanwhile, Israeli media report growing resistance among reservists, some of whom are refusing to return to duty over concerns about the army's direction and fears of a potential reoccupation of Gaza.
Meanwhile, Farah Abu Qainas hoped to become a teacher but an Israeli air strike last year injured her so badly she lost her left leg, throwing all her future plans into doubt and adding the 21-year-old to a list of thousands of new amputees in devastated Gaza.
Still living in a temporary shelter, Abu Qainas attends physiotherapy sessions at a prosthetics centre in the territory where she waits in a wheelchair for an artificial limb that could allow her some freedom again.
"That day I lost more than just my leg. My dreams vanished," she said. "I longed to attend university and teach children. But this injury has stolen that future."
Many thousands more have suffered injuries that will change their lives for decades to come. But amid a conflict that has left the medical system barely able to function, estimates for how many Palestinians have lost limbs vary.
"Across Gaza, it is estimated that 4,500 new amputees require prosthetics, in addition to the 2,000 existing cases requiring maintenance and follow-up care," the UN humanitarian agency OCHA reported last month. — dpa/AFP
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