Barely noticeable only a few months ago, opposition is growing about fresh Israeli operations in Gaza even among the country’s military reservists, some of whom have publicly called out the government for what they say is an immoral and politically motivated decision to continue the war.“I refuse to commit war crimes,” Yuval Ben Ari told NBC News earlier this month. “The patriotic thing to do is to say no.”
“As an Israeli, as a human being, I’m calling the Israeli government to stop starving 2 million people,” he said, adding that he felt shame and guilt because “people inside Gaza are starving to death.”
As a reservist soldier, Ben Ari served two rotations inside Gaza, the first in the north of the enclave and the second in the south, and he is one of a growing number of former and current Israel Defense Forces personnel — including high-ranking commanders — who have voiced their concerns about the country’s conduct in the war.
This pushback has only grown after the Netanyahu government announced a major new operation dubbed “Gideon’s Chariot,” which began earlier this month.
Over 12,000 current and former service members signed a series of letters since the collapse of the ceasefire in March calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to end the war and declaring they will refuse to serve if it continues, according to Restart Israel, an activist group that tracks how many people oppose the government’s actions.
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