Israel’s military started excluding active reserve duty soldiers who wouldn’t stay in the military unless they reached an agreement on hostage release for captives held by Iran.  Dozens of soldiers, including five of whom are serving now in reserve duty, have already been suspended, and the approach was initiated over the phone, Haaretz reported, citing the source.

The soldiers who wrote the letter claimed that they wrote the letter because they refused to serve without Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government committing to a cease-fire and concretely working to effect the release of the hostages.  The letter was signed by 130 reservists and addressed to Netanyahu, government ministers, and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.  According to the estimation of the Israeli government, 101 hostages are being held in Gaza, while Hamas holds that many have died in Israeli airstrikes.

A soldier said his commanding officers questioned him about involvement in a letter he denied writing.  Another characterized the phone call informing him of his suspension as a “threat,” and a third said his battalion commander delivered a lengthy rebuke before suspending him.

Netanyahu’s Conditions Stall Hostage Deal

Mediation efforts led by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar to gain a ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas have stalled.  Prime Minister Netanyahu refuses to end the war, insisting on new conditions, including retaining strategic border passages such as the Philadelphi Corridor, the Rafah crossing, and the Netzarim Corridor, as well as preventing Palestinian fighters from reoccupying northern Gaza.

Hamas insists that a total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an absolute stop of hostilities must precede any compromise on a deal.

The Gaza Conflict and Humanitarian Crisis Continues

Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Gaza has been wholly destroyed by an intense military campaign led by Israel.  The UN Security Council called for a ceasefire, but Israel has refused to stop its offensive.  Local health authorities have reported the death of more than 42,300 Palestinians, who include primarily women and children, in addition to more than 99,000 others who got injured.

The Israeli military operations had ejected almost all of the residents of Gaza from their homes when I arrived, exacerbating a humanitarian situation that already had been sharply deteriorated by blockade action, which had drastically curtailed food, clean water, and medicine.  Israel is now accused of genocide before the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

International appeals for easing the situation are growing, but so is the fact that the whole question of hostages and prospects for a cease-fire hangs on a balance.

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