​​​​​​​JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Former Israeli Air Force Chief Nimrod Sheffer announced Saturday that he was dismissed from military reserve service due to his signing a petition calling for an end to the war in order to secure the return of hostages from the Gaza Strip.

Israel's Channel 12 quoted reserve Maj. Gen. Nimrod Sheffer as saying: “I was dismissed from the reserves because of the petition.”

The petition in question, sent by Israeli Air Force reserve and retired officers the to the government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is the first to demand the return of hostages even if it means halting the war in Gaza.

As of Saturday, around 140,000 Israelis had signed various petitions calling for the return of the hostages from Gaza, even if it comes at the cost of ending the war.