Tel Aviv/Gaza/Washington, August 4, 2025: More than 600 former Israeli security officials have appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump to help bring an end to the ongoing war in Gaza, as international outrage intensifies over the deaths of dozens of Palestinians from starvation.
In a letter sent to Trump on Sunday, senior former officials—including ex-Mossad chief Tamir Pardo, former Shin Bet head Ami Ayalon, and former Israeli army deputy chief Matan Vilnai—urged the U.S. president to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the nearly two-year military campaign that has devastated the enclave.
The letter was released by the Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS) group and shared on social media. The signatories include veterans of the Mossad, Shin Bet, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), police, and diplomatic corps, making it one of the largest public dissenting voices within Israel’s security establishment.
“Everything that could be achieved by force has been achieved. The hostages cannot wait any longer,” CIS said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The group argued that while the Israeli military has successfully dismantled Hamas’s military infrastructure and governance, the remaining objective—the return of Israeli hostages—can only be achieved through a negotiated agreement.
“Stop the Gaza War! On behalf of CIS, Israel’s largest group of former generals and officials, we urge you to end the Gaza war,” the letter reads. “You did it in Lebanon. It’s time to do it in Gaza as well.”
In a translated version of the letter, CIS called on Trump to seize what it described as a “rare window of opportunity” to lead a regional and international effort to reshape the future of Gaza.
“On behalf of 550 former senior officials from all branches of security and foreign service, we sent a letter to President Trump: Stop the war and bring back the hostages… This is the moment of truth. We call on President Trump to exert his full influence and do this—now!”
The signatories warned that Trump’s credibility as a global leader hinges on his ability to persuade Netanyahu to pivot toward diplomacy.
The appeal comes amid global outrage over shocking video footage released by Palestinian groups showing two emaciated Israeli captives in Gaza. The images have reignited concern about both the conditions of hostages and the worsening humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory.
In a response on Sunday, Hamas said it was open to allowing the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to deliver aid to Israeli captives, after Netanyahu reportedly requested intervention from the Geneva-based organisation.
Netanyahu, however, has denied accusations of widespread starvation among Gaza’s Palestinian population. Instead, he claimed that the Israeli hostages were facing “systematic starvation” at the hands of their captors.
The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, responded by asserting that captives “eat what our fighters and all our people eat.”
“They will not receive any special privileges amid the crime of starvation and siege,” said group spokesperson Abu Obeida.
Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, has so far killed over 60,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Gaza’s health authorities. The prolonged assault has reduced much of the enclave to rubble and pushed its population of over two million to the brink of famine.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Several global human rights organisations have labeled the war a “genocide”, citing the scale of destruction, civilian casualties, and denial of humanitarian aid.
