Date : April 13 . 2025
More than 250 retired members of the Israeli intelligence agency "Mossad" and 150 doctors from the Israeli army's reserve forces have called for an end to the war in Gaza, joining hundreds of pilots, paratroopers, members of Unit 8200, and artillery units in the Israeli army.
The Israeli newspaper reported that among the signatories were three former heads of Mossad: Danny Yatom, Ephraim Halevy, and Tamir Pardo, along with former deputy heads of Mossad and dozens of department heads and deputy heads.
The petition delivered to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated: "We, the veterans of Mossad for intelligence and special missions, who have dedicated many years to safeguarding the security of the state, will not continue to stand idly by."
The signatories added: "We express our full support for the pilots' petition, which also reflects our deep concern for the future of the country, and we lend our voice to the call for immediate action to reach an agreement to return all 59 hostages home without delay, even at the cost of ending the war."
They concluded their message by stating that "the sanctity of life, Mr. Prime Minister, precedes the desire for revenge."
The newspaper quoted attorney Gil Shorish, described as a senior former Mossad official who initiated the message, saying: "As people who have served the country for many years, it is important for us to make our voices heard and stand with the pilots... Like us, large groups in society—lawyers, doctors, and teachers—are joining this call."
At the same time, Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant received a similar petition signed by about 200 doctors in reserve forces from various units of the Israeli army, demanding the return of hostages without delay and an end to the war in Gaza.
The petition stated: "We will repeat our call whenever necessary," adding: "After more than 550 days of fighting that has already inflicted heavy losses on the State of Israel, we feel pain because the continuation of fighting in Gaza primarily serves political and personal interests (of the Israeli Prime Minister) without a security objective... The continuation of fighting does not enhance achieving the declared goals of the war from the outset but endangers Israeli soldiers and the lives of our kidnapped civilians."
The signatories wrote: "As military doctors, we serve in reserve forces out of commitment to the sanctity of life, in the spirit of the Israeli army and the physician's oath, as an expression of mutual responsibility in Israeli society."
They added: "We warn that continuing the fighting and abandoning the hostages contradicts these values and the medical oath not to leave any of our men behind... Continuing the fighting and abandoning hostages, like wounded left behind on the battlefield, irreversibly undermines the values of sanctity of life and commitment to the security of the state and its inhabitants. We call on Israeli leadership to regain their senses and act according to the values of Israel and the spirit of the Israeli army."
Protests calling for an end to the Gaza war began with a petition signed by about a thousand pilots from reserve forces and retired members of the Israeli Air Force, including former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz. This was followed by petitions published by officers and soldiers in reserve from the navy and armored corps, and then by hundreds of officers and soldiers from reserve forces in military intelligence.
These petitions included similar messages against Netanyahu and his government following the resumption of war in Gaza, stating that "the war at this time primarily serves political and personal interests rather than security interests, and continuing the war does not contribute to achieving any of the declared objectives and will lead to the deaths of hostages among Israeli soldiers and civilians."