Signatories on 58 petitions include former soldiers, senior military officials, and civilians representing various sectors
The number of Israelis who have signed petitions demanding the return of captives from Gaza and an end to the war on the enclave has surged to nearly 143,000, new data showed on Tuesday.
According to the Restart Israel platform, which publishes petitions for Israelis to sign, the number of signatories reached 142,946, up considerably from 141,000 on Monday.
The platform also said the number of petitions in circulation rose from 56 to 58.
These petitions are initiated by reservists and retired soldiers from various Israeli military units, as well as by civilian groups supporting the soldiers' message. However, the vast majority of signatories are civilian.
According to the platform, over 11,000 reservists and retired soldiers have signed 20 open petitions, with 1,000 of them joining in recent days.
Signatures from civilians are also increasing rapidly, with 73,599 civilians, 3,700 teachers, 3,900 academics, 2,000 parents of students, 1,500 parents of soldiers, 1,200 relatives of fallen soldiers, 433 lawyers, and 16,299 Israeli mothers among the signatories.
Others include 258 female doctors, 2,100 high-tech professionals, 350 writers and poets, 131 artists and intellectuals, 472 engineers and urban planners, and 15,638 supporters of messages from Israeli Air Force veterans and reservists.
Prominent figures who signed included former Prime Minister and Chief of Staff Ehud Barak and former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz.
Also among the signatories are four former navy commanders, three former Flotilla 13 leaders, and two former artillery commanders.
Other high-profile signatories include former Southern Command leader Amram Mitzna, former Central Command leader Avi Mizrahi, former military intelligence chief Amos Malka, former Armored Corps commander Amnon Reshef, former Planning Directorate head Nimrod Sheffer, and former Central Command leader Ilan Biran.
“At this time, the war primarily serves political interests, not security interests. Continuing the war contributes nothing to its stated objectives and will lead to the deaths of hostages, Israeli soldiers, and innocent civilians, and to the erosion of the reservist system,” reads a common statement across many military petitions.
“We join the call to immediately reach an agreement to bring all 59 hostages home without delay, even at the cost of halting the fighting.”
According to Israeli media, the government has begun to take disciplinary action against military doctors who had signed the petitions.
The move follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that the signatories are engaging in insubordination with the support of foreign-funded organizations aiming to topple his government, which has been in power since late 2022.
Israel currently believes that 24 of the 59 remaining hostages in Gaza are still alive. At the same time, more than 9,500 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israeli jails, with numerous reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect leading to the deaths of detainees.
An initial ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel, brokered by Egypt and Qatar with American backing, began on Jan. 19 and was violated by Israel last month.
More than 51,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
