Thousands of Israelis from various sectors, including some 3,500 academics, 3,000 education professionals, 1,000 parents, and some 1,500 armored corps soldiers, as well as dozens of ambassadors and former senior Foreign Ministry officials, signed petitions calling for an immediate end to the war on Gaza in exchange for the release of prisoners. This joined the pilots' protest and a new escalation of civilian protests against the ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip.

Just before midnight on Monday, hundreds of members and officers from the IDF's offensive cyber units, the Shin Bet, and the Mossad, along with hundreds of reserve officers and fighters from the Military Intelligence Special Operations Unit, issued two strongly worded protest petitions against the ongoing war in Gaza. They called for an immediate end to the war and a prisoner exchange deal, and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The petitions included direct support for a petition issued by reserve Israeli Air Force officers and pilots, who demanded an end to the war as a condition for the return of the prisoners. Signatories to the petition, including former Foreign Ministry employees, ambassadors, and retired Supreme Court Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, a former attaché at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.

The petition by former Israeli Foreign Ministry employees stated, "The resumption of fighting has not resulted in the release of any prisoners. We demand immediate action to release all prisoners at once, even if the price is to stop the war" that Israel has been waging on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.

The signatories of the petition, composed by members of the Military Intelligence Special Unit, strongly attacked the Netanyahu government, writing in the petition: "Netanyahu's crimes are countless, but the conclusion is clear – Netanyahu poses a danger to the lives of prisoners, to the security of the state, and to its democracy." They emphasized that the ongoing war only serves the political interests of the "criminally indicted" prime minister and leads to "the establishment of a reality of perpetual war" without achieving its goals.

They called for "an immediate investigation into the failures of October 7, the conscription of hundreds of thousands of religious school students who refuse to serve, an end to attempts to politicize the judiciary," and "an end to incitement against anyone calling for an end to the war."

In a separate petition signed by former officers and soldiers in the army's offensive cyber units, the Shin Bet, and the Mossad, it stated: "We, who served the country in sensitive technological positions, believe that Netanyahu has reignited the war solely to protect his political survival." They added: "The continuation of the war threatens the lives of the prisoners, many of whom have already been killed, while Netanyahu continues to ignore their daily suffering in captivity, including torture and starvation."

The signatories noted that Netanyahu "abandons values and chooses his narrow political interests over human lives." They accused him of attempting to "obstruct the investigation into the 'Qatar Gate' affair." At the end of the petition, they called for "an immediate end to the war and action to release the prisoners," followed by "Netanyahu's resignation, the dissolution of the Knesset, and the setting of a date for general elections."

While the Israeli military has yet to issue an official comment, the process of collecting signatures for various petitions continues, while protests against the war's leadership and government policies are growing within the ranks of reserve soldiers and the Israeli security establishment.

In a petition signed by academics from Israeli higher education institutions, universities, and colleges, it stated: "We join the call of the air force personnel and demand that the prisoners be returned to their homes without delay, even if this requires an immediate cessation of hostilities."

The signatories added that the current war "serves political and personal interests more than it serves national security," warning that its continuation "will lead to the deaths of more prisoners, soldiers, and innocent civilians, and will deplete reserve forces."

Education system workers wrote in a similar statement, "This is not a call for disobedience, but a call to save lives." Teacher Avital Masterman, from a school in Tel Aviv, said the thousands of teachers signing the petition reflect civic courage.

She added, "In these difficult times, with the escalation of rhetoric of treason and persecution, we raise a clear moral and educational voice: Human lives must not be sacrificed for unattainable goals."

Hundreds of parents (about 1,000 of the students' parents) also signed a petition that read: "For the sake of our children's future, and for the sake of our neighbors as well, we refuse to raise them in an eternal war. We refuse to turn a blind eye to the killing of children, and we will not cooperate with the idea that there are no innocents in Gaza, nor with abandoning prisoners or dehumanizing others."

Likewise, some 170 graduates of the elite Talpiot military program, both reserve and retired, issued a statement in support of the pilots' petition, saying, "The call to rescue civilian and military prisoners is a fundamental moral call stemming from the values upon which we were raised and served. We condemn attempts to silence the voices of our colleagues, who are active citizens, have served the state, and are expressing their concerns."

As for the 1,500 armored soldiers, they signed a petition that stated: "The continuation of the fighting does not serve the goals set for the army, and work must be done immediately to return the prisoners to their homes," according to what Haaretz reported today.

Rami Matan, the initiator of the initiative and former deputy commander of the Yiftach Brigade, said, "The Chief of Staff himself openly admitted today that not all of the objectives in Gaza can be achieved. If that's the case, why do we continue to sacrifice lives for impossible goals?"

Haaretz revealed that the Air Force leadership attempted to prevent the pilots' petition from being published, with commanders with the rank of brigadier general personally contacting the signatory reservists, demanding they withdraw their signatures and threatening them with sanctions.

According to the newspaper, only 25 of the signatories responded. Later, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and Air Force Commander Tomer Bar announced their decision to dismiss the reservists who signed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the measure, saying they were "an extremist group trying to undermine Israeli society from within" and that their goal was "to bring down the government."