Over 600 former Israeli security officials call on Trump to end Gaza war

Over 600 former Israeli security officials — including former heads of the Mossad, the Shin Bet internal security agency, the Israeli military, Israel Police and ambassadors — have sent an open letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to pressure Israel to immediately end the war in Gaza.

What happened: The letter, signed on Friday and widely circulated on Monday, included former Mossad chiefs Tamir Pardo and Efraim Halevi; former Shin Bet heads Ami Ayalon and Yaakov Peri; former deputy Israeli military chief Matan Vilnai; former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon; former Police Commissioner Assaf Hefetz; and former Ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharoff.

The initiative came from Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS), an organization comprising hundreds of former Israeli security and diplomatic officials committed to preserving Israel’s security by promoting separation from the Palestinians and advancing the two-state solution.

“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 Lebanon. Time to do it in Gaza as well,” the letter read.

“The IDF [Israeli military] has long accomplished the two objectives that could be achieved by force: dismantling Hamas’ military formations and governance. The third, and most important, can only be achieved through a deal: bringing all hostages home,” it continued. The letter added, “It is our professional judgment that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel, and our experience tells us that Israel has all it takes to deal with its residual terror capabilities, remotely or otherwise.”

The signatories argued that Trump’s “credibility with the vast majority of Israelis” increases his ability “to steer Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government in the right direction: end the war, return the hostages, stop the suffering, and forge a regional-international coalition that helps the Palestinian Authority (once reformed) to offer Gazans and all Palestinians an alternative to Hamas and its vicious ideology.”

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Matan Vilnai, the head of CIS, said reaching out to Trump was not an "easy decision."

“Appealing to Trump, a foreign leader, has not been an easy decision, for us Israeli citizens. But we reached the conclusion that the hostages are running out of time and the only way to release them is by ending the [Gaza] war.”

 “We represent thousands of years of experience and dedication, and we all think that the Gaza war must end immediately. But because the Israeli government does not listen to these calls, and is preoccupied by other things, we appealed to the only person who could influence Prime Minister Netanyahu, namely president Trump,” Vilnai, a former Israeli military Maj.-Gen., Knesset member, and government minister for the Labor party, added. 

“I served in Gaza for many years and fought Hamas. I’m absolutely sure that what needs to be done is stop the war and get the hostages back,” the former official said.

Background: The CIS appeal comes amid reports that Netanyahu is pushing to expand military operations in Gaza, as indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas remain at a deadlock. A statement published Sunday by an unnamed senior Israeli diplomatic source, cited by Israeli media, said Netanyahu was “pushing for the release of the hostages through decisive military victory, that would be combined with delivering humanitarian aid into [Gaza] areas outside the fighting zone, and, as possible, to areas not controlled by Hamas.” The source added that Israel maintains dialogue with the Americans and that “there is growing understanding that Hamas is not interested in a [ceasefire] deal.”

On Sunday, the pro-democracy Israeli opposition group, UnXeptable, published a video featuring several signatories of Friday’s letter to Trump, reiterating their call to end the Gaza war. "Once we achieved all of its military objectives, this war stopped being a just war,” Ayalon said in the video. “Internationally, the damage is severe,” said former Shin Bet head Yoram Cohen, adding, “We have not advanced in any way regarding the hostages.” Cohen further argued that despite all its capabilities, the Israeli military “cannot make real the fantasy of someone sitting in the cabinet, who believes his fantasy can be achieved.” “The time has come to end this war,” concluded Yatom.

On Monday, Israel’s opposition criticized Netanyahu for delaying a cabinet meeting on the situation of the hostages until Tuesday. The criticism came amid the release of two disturbing hostage videos over the weekend — one by Islamic Jihad and one by Hamas — showing separately emaciated hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David in dire health and apparently tortured.

“What we have is another meeting over the security detail for the premier and his family. What we don’t have is a meeting over the hostages and their families,” opposition leader Yair Lapid posted on X on Sunday.

The office of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced that he will travel to the United States to participate in a United Nations meeting in New York on Monday focused on the hostages, at Israel’s request.

Know more: On Saturday night, thousands gathered in Tel Aviv, demanding the government reach a deal with Hamas for the release of the hostages and an end to the war. “Sixty-thousand people at Hostages Square tonight are calling: ‘Stop this nightmare that has continued for 666 days. Sign a comprehensive agreement that will bring back all 50 hostages and end the fighting,’” said the Forum of the Families of the Hostages.