Hundreds of former Israeli officials wrote to Trump: Hamas is no longer a threat, end the war in Gaza

(Patria) - A group of about 600 retired Israeli security officials, including former heads of intelligence agencies, wrote to US President Donald Trump, urging him to pressure Israel to immediately end the war in Gaza.

"It is our professional assessment that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel. Your credibility with the vast majority of Israelis increases your ability to direct Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government in the right direction - end the war, return the hostages, stop the suffering," the officials stated, as reported by BBC.

The appeal from former Israeli officials came after Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants released video footage of two emaciated Israeli hostages, which was condemned by Israeli and Western leaders, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a new military offensive.

The main group supporting the families of the hostages condemned the idea of a new military offensive, stating that Netanyahu is leading Israel and the hostages to ruin.

This stance was clearly presented in the letter to Trump by, among others, former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo, former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon.

- Initially, this war was a just, defensive war, but once we achieved all military objectives, it ceased to be a just war - said Ayalon.

The former senior leaders head the group Commanders for Israel's Security (CIS), which has previously called on the government to focus on securing the return of the hostages.

"Stop the war in Gaza! In the name of CIS, the largest Israeli group of former IDF generals and equivalents of Mossad, Shin Bet, police, and the diplomatic corps, we call on you to end the war in Gaza. You did it in Lebanon. It is time to do it in Gaza as well," they wrote to the US president.

The possibility of a new escalation in Gaza could anger Israel's allies who have advocated for an immediate ceasefire, as reports of Palestinians dying from hunger or malnutrition cause shock worldwide.

More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of the Israeli military campaign in Gaza since the Hamas incursion in October 2023 to date, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

A mass starvation of Palestinians is also underway in the area, as a result of strict restrictions imposed by Israel on what is allowed into Gaza.

The ministry states that 180 people, including 93 children, have died from malnutrition since the beginning of the war.

UN-backed agencies have stated that "the worst possible scenario of famine is currently unfolding in Gaza."