Monday, a former Israeli Occupation air force pilot, Yonatan Shapira, called the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) a "terrorist organization" run by "war criminals."

Shapira told the Anadolu News Agency he left the IOF in 2003 during the second Palestinian Intifada.

He told reporters he suddenly realized while he was serving that he was a "part of a terrorist organization."

"I realized during the Second Intifada what the Israeli Air Force and Israeli military are doing are war crimes, terrorizing a population of millions of Palestinians. When I realised that, I decided to not just leave but to organize other pilots that will publicly refuse to take part in these crimes."

In the Israeli Occupation, both men and women are conscripted into the army at the age of 18. Those who refuse to serve or disobey orders on the grounds of pacifism, antimilitarism, religious philosophy, or political disagreement with Zionist policies such as the occupation of the Palestinian territories, are considered to be conscientious objectors.

They are commonly known as 'sarvanim,' which loosely translates into evaders or dodgers.

Exemption to serve is generally only granted to Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, or those deemed psychologically unfit. Palestinians in 1948 occupied lands are also exempt.

The cost of not serving includes a guaranteed prison sentence for conscientious objectors.

Shapira highlighted the lack of transparency in Zionist education schemes.

"As a child in Israel, you are being brought up in very strong Zionist militaristic education. You don't know almost anything about Palestine, you don't know about the 1948 Nakba, you don't know about ongoing oppression."

Since leaving, Shapira launched a campaign encouraging other military members not to attack Palestinians, which resulted in 27 other pilots to be discharged from their posts in 2003.

Shapira emphasized he wanted to protect people while joining the army, but this was not the case in the IOF.

If he wanted to protect people, he should be on the other side, next to the Palestinians, instead of being a part of the Israeli army, said Shapira.

Because of his Palestinian support, Shapira said he was fired from all places he was employed.

He said he was fired every time due to his support for Palestinians, and becoming a part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.

"I say that [this] is an apartheid state because I say that my government and my commanders are war criminals," he said.

In the last nine days, Israeli Occupation aggression has claimed the lives of over 212 Palestinians, including 61 children in the Gaza Strip.