TEL AVIV — A group of 600 retired Israeli security officials has sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, urging him to intervene and press Israel to end its military campaign in Gaza. The appeal, released Sunday, follows the release of videos showing visibly malnourished hostages held by Palestinian militants and comes amid rising global concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The signatories include former top figures in Israel’s intelligence, military, and government leadership. Among them are former Mossad director Tamir Pardo, ex-Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon.
In their letter, the officials claimed Hamas no longer posed a strategic threat to Israel. “Your credibility with the vast majority of Israelis augments your ability to steer Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government in the right direction: End the war, return the hostages, stop the suffering,” the letter read.
Israel launched the war in Gaza following Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023, cross-border attack in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage. Since then, Israel’s military campaign has killed over 60,000 people, according to the health ministry in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas.
The same ministry reports that at least 180 people, including 93 children, have died from hunger-related conditions since the conflict began. UN-backed agencies have stated that famine is unfolding across Gaza, with food and medical aid severely restricted.
Recent footage released by Hamas and Islamic Jihad showed two Israeli hostages in visibly deteriorated health. The videos prompted renewed calls from within Israel and abroad to halt the fighting and refocus efforts on returning the captives.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told the hostages’ families that “efforts to bring them back will continue constantly and relentlessly.” However, an unnamed Israeli official told local media that the prime minister believes military pressure remains the path to their release.
The Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS), the group behind the letter to Trump, stated that the war has lost its justification. “At first this war was a just war, a defensive war, but when we achieved all military objectives, this war ceased to be a just war,” said Ami Ayalon in the appeal.
The group called on Trump to act, referencing his previous intervention in Lebanon. “Stop the Gaza War! On behalf of CIS, Israel’s largest group of former IDF generals and Mossad, Shin Bet, Police, and Diplomatic Corps equivalents, we urge you to end the Gaza war. You did it in Lebanon. Time to do it in Gaza as well.”
International criticism of Israel’s conduct has intensified, with public sentiment in many countries shifting sharply. The wide-scale devastation and rising civilian toll have triggered protests and calls for immediate ceasefire from global leaders and humanitarian organizations.
The main hostages’ families group has condemned Netanyahu’s plan to expand military operations. “Netanyahu is leading Israel and the hostages to doom,” they said in a statement.
While President Trump has so far remained a staunch ally of Israel, he acknowledged in a recent interview that “real starvation” is occurring in Gaza. That statement contradicted Netanyahu’s repeated denial of any famine in the territory.
As indirect ceasefire talks remain stalled, pressure is mounting both at home and abroad for a decisive policy shift. It remains uncertain what actions Trump may take in response to the letter.
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