Gaza War: 1,000+ families of fallen IDF soldiers back continued fighting until total victory

More than 1,000 families of fallen Israeli soldiers have signed a public letter expressing their support for continuing the war until Israel secures a decisive victory over its enemies.

"Our loved ones went out to war to achieve victory, safety, and security. Tragically, they did not come home. It is our duty to see their will fulfilled. We stand with the Government of Israel and its leadership – do not accept a partial victory. We must keep going until the war is won,” the jointly signed letter stated.

The purpose of the letter, organized by the Gvura Families of the Fallen Forum, is to publicly oppose the growing calls to end the Gaza War in exchange for the release of the remaining 59 Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorists and their allies in Gaza. The Gvura Forum represents bereaved families of soldiers killed in the Iron Swords War, as well as victims of terror attacks against Israelis.

Some 250 former Mossad and security officials, including three former Mossad heads – Danny Yotam, Ephraim Halevi, and Tamir Pardo – publicly called for an end to the war and to prioritize the release of the hostages.

"We, the Mossad intelligence and special services veterans, who have dedicated many years to safeguarding the country's security, will not continue to stand by. We express our full support for the pilots' letter, which also reflects our deep concern for the future of the country, and we join the call to act immediately to reach an agreement to return all 59 abductees home, without delay, even at the cost of ceasing fighting," the officials wrote in a joint letter.

The signatories stressed the importance of carrying out the war objectives outlined by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the outset of the conflict in October 2023 – the defeat and dismantling of Hamas as a long-term threat, along with the secure release of the Israeli hostages.

The Hamas terrorist organization, whose military capabilities have been severely degraded, has now demanded a complete end to the war it was responsible for triggering on Oct. 7, 2023, when thousands of terrorists from Gaza invaded the Israeli border, brutally killing 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping more than 250 people from southern Israel. While Israel has expressed openness to a temporary ceasefire, officials in Jerusalem have made it clear that military operations will continue until Hamas is fully defeated and dismantled as a threat.

On Friday, Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya announced that Hamas rejects the latest Israeli hostage proposal.

“We are ready to immediately conduct real negotiations, on the release of all the captives in our hands in exchange for the release of an agreed number of prisoners held by the occupation. In return, the occupation must stop the war completely and withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip,” al-Hayya stated.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded to Hamas’ rejection by stressing the need to defeat the terror group, which poses a long-term threat to the Jewish state.

“The State of Israel will not, God forbid, surrender to Hamas and will not end the war without a complete victory and the realization of its full goals, which include the destruction of Hamas and the return of all the hostages,” Smotrich wrote in a post on 𝕏.