Daijiworld Media Network- Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv, Apr 15: In an unprecedented show of dissent within the ranks, over 150 active-duty Israeli soldiers from the elite Golani Brigade have reportedly signed a petition demanding an end to the ongoing war in Gaza and calling for swift action to secure the release of Israeli hostages held in the besieged Palestinian territory.
According to Israeli Army Radio, the Golani soldiers’ petition adds to a growing wave of discontent that has swept through the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), with multiple petitions signed by thousands of current and former military personnel. This includes more than 1,000 Air Force reservists, hundreds of naval and armoured corps officers, and notably, 200 military doctors who signed a separate appeal on Sunday.
The petitions have triggered unease within the Israeli establishment, prompting a stern warning from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has threatened disciplinary action against active-duty personnel found supporting such initiatives.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that Hamas is reviewing a fresh ceasefire proposal from Israel. A spokesperson for the group, Sami Abu Zuhri, however, dismissed the condition that Hamas must disarm, calling it “unacceptable to even hear.”
On the ground, Israeli airstrikes have continued to pound Gaza, killing at least 15 Palestinians in fresh attacks targeting shelters in both northern and southern areas of the enclave. The Palestinian Health Ministry has placed the death toll since the war began at 50,983, with over 1.16 lakh injured.
The October 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on Israeli territory left 1,139 people dead and more than 200 kidnapped, prompting the large-scale military offensive that has since drawn international concern over humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Adding to the regional turmoil, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned of escalating violence in the occupied West Bank. According to its latest update, over 44,000 people have been displaced in just the first two months of 2025, the majority due to intensified clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters.
“Aid groups are stepping in, but we must not let the West Bank become another Gaza,” OCHA’s Palestine office stated on X, as the humanitarian crisis deepens.