As one Tel Aviv activist put it: “This is a war of destruction. The Gazans are our neighbors.”
TEL AVIV — A rising number of Israelis, including academics, veterans, and public figures, are publicly opposing the war in Gaza, warning of war crimes committed in their name.
Once considered fringe, antiwar protests have grown, with demonstrators near the Gaza border holding images of Palestinian children killed in the conflict.
“Revenge is not a policy,” said Tamar Parush, a sociology lecturer, during a rally. “We could have fought a smarter war.”
Surveys show most Israelis still support the war that followed the October 7 Hamas attack, which killed around 1,200 Israelis and led to over 250 hostages. But critics say the prolonged campaign — which has killed over 60,000 Palestinians and displaced millions — now serves political rather than security goals.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert condemned the “criminal killing of civilians,” and ex-generals like Yair Golan have likened the government’s conduct to ethnic cleansing.
Over 1,300 university faculty have signed letters decrying a “horrible litany of war crimes.” Writers like David Grossman and Dorit Rabinyan, once silent, now express “shock” at Israel’s actions.
“People debate starving or deporting Gaza’s residents on television as if these are legitimate options,” said human rights lawyer Michael Sfard. “But a different voice is trying to penetrate the almost unified public discourse.”
At a peace summit in Jerusalem, activists called for an end to the war and a hostage deal, warning that prolonging the war will cost more lives — Palestinian and Israeli alike.
As one Tel Aviv activist put it: “This is a war of destruction. The Gazans are our neighbors.”