Israel to reprimand educators who publicly call to end Gaza war, minister warns

He added that the school officials would be brought in for questioning if they do not heed his warning.

Education Minister Yoav Kisch warned school principals across Israel who publicly demand an end to the Gaza war, saying that "we will not allow politics to be brought into the schools," Israeli media reported Wednesday.

He added that the school officials would be brought in for questioning.

Kisch made this statement in response to a video that was published earlier on Wednesday, where dozens of principals across the country were featured calling for an end to the war and a deal that would see the return of the remaining 50 hostages.

"In these days, silence is not possible," one of the key messages in the video said.

This is the second video released by a group of school principals and educators. "Out of an educational and moral responsibility, we call for an end to the war and the immediate return of all the kidnapped," they wrote in a message they distributed among their colleagues.

"We, school principals, join our friends and clearly voice our commitment to love of humanity, human dignity, and compassion."

They went on to write that this is what the State Education Law instructs, and they also mentioned the Declaration of Independence: "This is what the State Education Law instructs and the Declaration of Independence states: 'To develop an attitude out of respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, democratic values, the observance of law, culture and views of others, and to continue educating in the pursuit of peace and tolerance in relations between people and countries.'

"These days, silence is not possible. We join our fellow school principals and our commitment to the values of love for humanity and human dignity." In the video, they stated that they do not intend to stop publicly voicing their opinions and that they will not agree to stand aside.

"We will continue to publicly express our ethical and moral position in accordance with the provisions of the State Education Law and the values of the Declaration of Independence.

'Professional and moral duty to speak out'

"We will not stand by in the face of abandoning the hostages, the risk to soldiers' lives, and in the face of hunger and the severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza," the speakers shouted in the video. "Therefore, we call for an end to the war and the return of the hostages immediately. It is our professional and moral duty to speak out, to protect the sanctity of human life, and to preserve the Jewish and humanist values that are the root of our work. We are here to educate for humanity, hope, and life."

Five university presidents appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month, calling for a solution to the "terrible problem of hunger prevailing in Gaza, which is seriously harming those who are not involved, including children and infants."

Kisch responded by claiming that all responsibility in the Gaza Strip should be pointed at Hamas, that the "starvation campaign" is propaganda, and that Israel is concerned about the well-being of the Gazans in the Gaza Strip.

In their letter, the heads of Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University, the Open University, the Weizmann Institute, and the Technion asked for increased military efforts to resolve the humanitarian crisis and prevent harm to those who are not involved in the fighting, "regardless of the heavy responsibility of Hamas and other factors."