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“Your credibility with the vast majority of Israelis augments your ability to steer Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government in the right direction: End the war, return the hostages, stop the suffering,” the letter states, addressing Trump directly.
The appeal comes amid reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu is pushing to expand military operations in Gaza, despite stalled indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas. The war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, has resulted in over 60,000 deaths in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. On Monday, the ministry reported 94 deaths in the past 24 hours, including dozens from Israeli strikes and at least 24 people killed while seeking aid. These figures, reported almost daily, remain unverified as Israel restricts independent international journalists, including the BBC, from entering Gaza.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened, with UN-backed agencies warning of a “worst-case scenario of famine” unfolding. The health ministry reports 180 deaths from malnutrition since the war began, including 93 children, amid severe Israeli restrictions on aid entering the territory.
The letter follows the release of videos by Hamas and Islamic Jihad showing two emaciated Israeli hostages, prompting widespread condemnation from Israeli and Western leaders. Netanyahu, speaking with the hostages’ families, vowed to continue efforts to free all captives “constantly and relentlessly.” However, an Israeli official, widely quoted in local media, suggested Netanyahu’s strategy relies on achieving the “military defeat of Hamas” rather than negotiation.
This approach has drawn criticism from allies advocating for an immediate ceasefire, particularly as reports of Palestinian deaths from starvation and malnutrition spark global outrage. The main group representing hostages’ families condemned plans for a new offensive, warning that “Netanyahu is leading Israel and the hostages to doom.”
The letter, organized by the Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS) group, emphasizes that the war, initially a “just” defensive response, has lost its legitimacy after achieving its military objectives. “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 Ayalon. The group urged Trump to leverage his influence to end the conflict, citing his role in securing a ceasefire in Lebanon as a precedent. “Stop the Gaza War! You did it in Lebanon. Time to do it in Gaza as well,” the letter concludes.
As international pressure mounts, the former officials’ appeal underscores the growing divide between Israel’s current leadership and its security establishment, with the fate of the hostages and Gaza’s civilian population hanging in the balance.
