Soldiers’ mothers unite to call for an end to the war

As the IDF escalates its harrowing Gaza operations in its proclaimed bid to destroy Hamas, groups of Israeli mothers are surging to the fore of efforts to stop the war — and save their sons.

Parents of Combatants Screaming Stop, The Mothers’ Cry and MomsUp23 each include mothers of soldiers in Gaza and each want the war ended immediately, with all hostages returning home. The first two groups are more ready to go against the grain and highlight the wars’ devastating toll on Gazans, while the third is larger and, according to one of its leaders, rejects the notion that the IDF is carrying out any wrongs or crimes against the Palestinians.

All three groups are on high alert now because of the Gideon’s Chariot Operation, a recent escalation of the war requiring more manpower and reserve call-ups. Gideon’s Chariots, with its plan to “concentrate” and force Palestinian civilians southward, is a recipe for war crimes and crimes against humanity, in the view of several leading Israeli legal scholars.