Thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets every week to protest the ongoing war in Gaza and the government's failure to bring home Israeli hostages.
But on Tuesday, a different kind of demonstration took place: hundreds of retired Israeli Air Force pilots rallied against the war outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.
It was the first time the group, which calls itself "555," had gathered in person to oppose the Israeli cabinet's latest decision — to launch an operation to capture Gaza City and expand the nearly two-year war. The crowd, most over 60 years of age, stood under a banner reading "Don't kill hostages and soldiers" — a message that echoed throughout the speeches.
Many also stressed that their call to end the war wasn't only about Israeli lives, but about the deaths of Palestinian civilians as well.
Among them was Dan Halutz, a former chief of staff of the Israeli military and ex-Air Force commander. Challenging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that Hamas still poses a significant threat, Halutz told the crowd, "Who among the senior commanders in the IDF believes Hamas is a strategic threat we can't defend against? I don't believe there's such a person."
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