Every week, large crowds gather in cities across Israel to call on the government to bring home hostages held in Gaza.

The hostages' fate has been on many Israeli minds since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people. Recent opinion polls show that nearly 70% of Israelis want a deal to bring home the remaining 59 hostages of the around 250 taken during the attacks, 24 of whom are still believed to be alive.

Now, a growing number of Air Force pilots, former Secret Service agents, intelligence unit members and many other army reservists and retirees are publicly expressing growing discontent with the government's failure to secure the hostages' release. Their message: First the hostages, then Hamas, even if war is necessary later. Israel, the United States, Germany and several other countries designate Hamas a terrorist organization.

A group of 250 former Mossad foreign intelligence agency officers has backed a recent initiative by Air Force pilots and air crews.

"We will join the call to act immediately to reach an agreement to return all 59 hostages home, without delay, even at the cost of cessation of the fighting," their open letter read.

The letter concluded with a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly: "The sanctity of life, Mr. Prime Minister, takes precedence over God of vengeance," in reference to Psalm 94.

Israel resumed military operations in Gaza on March 18 after negotiations over the second phase of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas broke down. The first phase saw the release of nearly 40 Israeli and foreign national hostages from Gaza, and Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

For Haim Tomer, a former Mossad head of........

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