Reserve and retired Israel Air Force pilots published on Thursday a signed statement in paid newspaper ads demanding the immediate return of the Gaza hostages, even if it required suspending the fighting.
"The war serves political and personal interests; only an agreement will ensure the safe return of the kidnapped," they stated.
The IAF is currently reviewing the list of military personnel who signed the letter, and have emphasized that the letter does not include a call for refusal to serve, Maariv reported.
However, due to the political nature of the letter, the IDF has stated that the signatories will not be allowed to continue serving actively in the reserves, Maariv added.
Among the signatories of the letter are former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz and former Major General Nimrod Shafir.
IAF Commander Tomer Bar strongly opposed the letter
The letter caused a storm within the Air Force, with Air Force Commander Major General Tomer Bar threatening that anyone who signs the letter will not be able to continue serving in the reserves, KAN reported on Tuesday.
This is despite the fact that the letter did not include a threat of refusal or cessation of reserve service.
According to KAN, Bar was most troubled by the political statement in particular, and one of the signatories told KAN that Bar met with Corps commanders in recent days to discuss the issue, with IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir in attendance.
The IDF responded to the report of the letter, saying, "The IDF, including the Air Force, is committed to and actively working towards achieving all the objectives of the war, including the return of all hostages.The letter was not received by the IDF."
