Forty-one Israeli soldiers have announced that they will not continue their military service, describing the ongoing genocide in besieged Gaza as a war fought to protect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political survival rather than to secure Israel or rescue hostages.

The soldiers from Israel's intelligence and cyber warfare units sent a signed letter on Tuesday to Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and other Cabinet members expressing their refusal, according to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

The signatories wrote under the heading "Soldiers for the Hostages" that the renewed military offensive in Gaza is not a "security decision but a political one."

They criticised the decision to expand the carnage in the Palestinian territory, asserting that the aim is to "preserve the ruling coalition, not protect Israeli citizens."

The soldiers said they would not participate in "Netanyahu's survival war." Some pledged to make their refusal public, while others promised to use quieter, "grey area" forms of protest.

Zamir directed the military in early June to expand its ongoing carnage in Gaza to include additional areas in both the north and south, amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.

Israel estimates that 56 hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 believed to be alive. Meanwhile, more than 10,100 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons under harsh conditions, including reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups.

Hamas has repeatedly offered to release all Israeli captives in exchange for an end to the war, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners. However, Netanyahu has rejected those terms, insisting on the disarmament of Palestinian resistance factions and pushing for renewed control over Gaza.

The Israeli opposition and families of the hostages have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war to appease his far-right coalition partners and maintain power.

Israeli carnage

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal carnage against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Over the course of the genocide, Israel reduced most of the blockaded enclave to ruins and practically displaced all of its population.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defence 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 crimes against civilians in the enclave.