On September 3, 2025, a wave of dissent swept through Israel’s military ranks as hundreds of reservists announced they would refuse to serve in the ongoing war in Gaza, declaring that the conflict no longer had a justifiable purpose beyond preserving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political coalition. This dramatic move, led by members of a group called Soldiers for the Hostages, has laid bare the deepening fissures within Israeli society as the war drags on, exacting a devastating toll on both Palestinians and Israelis alike.
Among those speaking out is Max Kresch, a 29-year-old Israeli American veteran combat medic. Once proud to defend his homeland, Kresch is now one of a growing number of reservists questioning the war’s endgame and refusing to fight if called upon, even at the risk of jail. “The war right now is a direct threat to our future. It’s a direct threat to the future of Israelis, of civilians, of our own values,” Kresch told NBC News. His mandatory military service ended in 2018, but he returned to serve on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon during the current conflict. Now, he says the moral cost is simply too high.
This crisis of conscience among reservists comes against the backdrop of almost a year of relentless violence. The conflict escalated sharply after the Hamas-led terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and resulted in 250 hostages being taken. In the months since, the war has left nearly 64,000 people dead in Gaza, including thousands of children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. Much of the territory has been reduced to rubble, and most of its population has been displaced, with the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification declaring a famine in northern Gaza, where renewed Israeli military operations are underway.
Despite the harrowing humanitarian situation, Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly denied the existence of famine and insisted that widespread hunger is not Israel’s responsibility. He maintains that Israel does not intend to occupy Gaza, but insists that Hamas must be disarmed and defeated outright. Netanyahu, along with IDF Chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, has claimed the war is entering its decisive stage, with operations against Hamas in Gaza City set to expand.
Yet, the government’s narrative is increasingly at odds with the sentiments of many reservists and segments of the Israeli public. Members of Soldiers for the Hostages have described the conflict as morally wrong and rejected further involvement, saying the war is not only endangering the remaining Israeli hostages but also causing immense suffering to Palestinians. Their stance is echoed by others who accuse Netanyahu—himself facing charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes in three separate cases—of prolonging the war for his own political survival, a charge the prime minister flatly denies.
The dissent is not limited to a handful of individuals. Signs of unrest within the military surfaced shortly after Netanyahu announced new military plans in early August, when an association of Israeli air force reserve and retired pilots called for an “immediate end to the futile war and urgent action to bring the hostages home.” The growing protests in Israel, coupled with mounting global outrage over renewed military operations in northern Gaza, have intensified pressure on the government to find a resolution.
One 28-year-old reservist, who received his call-up notice to serve in Gaza, told NBC News he was still weighing his decision, torn between his sense of duty and his personal values. “In my spiritual life, we talk about how much … life is important,” he said. “I think [life] now, how the way we see life now in Gaza, we don’t see like a life.” He added, “We see them like bugs.” NBC News agreed not to name him due to his fear of repercussions for both criticizing military service and potentially refusing the call-up.
For others, the risk of imprisonment is not enough to compel them to return to the front lines. Ze’ev Bogomolny, a 27-year-old painter who served in an artillery unit near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, put it bluntly: “I prefer not to go to jail, but if the question was to go to Gaza, go to jail, I’d go to jail,” he told NBC News. “I’m willing to put my life in captivity in order to save this place, and going to the army now is the destruction of Israel, completely.” Bogomolny urged other reservists to carefully weigh their own decisions, reflecting on his own change in perspective since the Hamas attacks: “I think the right thing now is for every soldier, every reserve soldier, to ask himself why and, and in what cost, is he willing to take part in this, in this war.”
Despite the growing resistance, tens of thousands of reservists are still expected to report for duty as Israel prepares for expanded military operations. On September 2, 2025, Netanyahu underscored the importance of reservists for the upcoming offensive in Gaza City, writing on X, “Dear reserve soldiers, you are the strength that holds Israel,” and reminding them of the sacrifices involved—leaving “work, studies and home” to serve. “But the mission is still not complete,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has warned Palestinians to evacuate Gaza City to designated safe zones ahead of a new ground offensive. However, even these supposed sanctuaries have not been immune to violence. On September 2, 2025, an Israeli drone strike in the Al-Mawasi safe zone in southern Gaza killed 13 people, including seven children, according to the families of the victims. The Israeli military has denied responsibility for attacks in that area. Video footage shared with NBC News showed the bodies of children laid out on stretchers and the floor of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, a grim testament to the ongoing human cost of the conflict.
Kresch, who now organizes with Soldiers for the Hostages, voiced his anguish over the war’s trajectory. “We’re destroying the lives of Gazan civilians,” he said. “We are killing our own hostages. We know this.” His words reflect a growing sentiment among Israelis who, while once united in the wake of the October 7 attacks, are now deeply divided over the war’s justification and its devastating consequences.
The war’s impact has extended far beyond the battlefield. Mounting global anger over Israel’s actions has contributed to a rise in antisemitism worldwide, according to Kresch. In January, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported “troubling signs of resurgent antisemitism in Europe and around the world, from attacks on Jews and harassment in public spaces to rising online hatred and more.” Kresch warned, “You have the Israeli government who is increasingly providing a framework for this antisemitism to grow.”
As Israel’s military gears up for what leaders describe as a decisive phase in Gaza, the voices of dissent from within its own ranks signal a country at a crossroads. The fate of the hostages, the future of Gaza, and the soul of Israeli society itself now hang in the balance, as reservists, politicians, and ordinary citizens grapple with the costs of a war that shows no sign of ending soon.