The parent group of about 800 Israelis said in a letter addressed to Netanyahu, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, that they "cannot allow you to continue sacrificing our children as cannon fodder".

Their sons and daughters have fought in the ranks of the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip during the war, triggered by Hamas's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Critics of Netanyahu have repeatedly accused him of derailing efforts to end the fighting for political gain and to prevent the potential collapse of his hard-right coalition.

"We accuse you of an endless war, unprecedented in the history of our country," said the letter from the group called Parents of Soldiers Say Enough.

"This is only due to your personal political survival interests," the parents argued.

Contacted by AFP, Netanyahu's office did not comment.

Netanyahu, who also faces trial on corruption charges he denies, has insisted Hamas was to blame for any delays in securing a ceasefire while also vowing to eliminate the Palestinian group responsible for the deadliest attack in Israel's history.

Months of mediation efforts to secure a truce and the release of dozens of hostages held in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack have failed to produce a deal, though indirect talks have resumed recently in Qatar.

The parents' letter said that "everyone" including the Israeli soldiers on the ground "knows... that the war is dragging on without purpose and that the hostages will only be released as part of an agreement".

"We accuse you of abandoning the hostages and the soldiers! We call on you: end the war!"

Some soldiers have been deployed to Gaza for nearly the entirety of the war, which has entered its 16th month.

"The Israeli army has no reason to remain in Gaza, except to fulfil the messianic desires to settle there," the letter said.

Some members of Netanyhau's ruling coalition who represent the far right have called to reestablish Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, from which Israel withdrew troops and settlers in 2005 after decades.

Since Israel sent ground forces into Gaza on October 27, 2023 -- about three weeks after the Hamas attack -- the military says 399 soldiers have been killed there.