Around 550 former senior officials from Israel’s security establishment and diplomatic corps have called on US President Donald Trump to act immediately to end the ongoing war in Gaza, said an Anadolu report.
According to the Israeli daily Maariv, the appeal came in a letter sent to Trump by the Commanders for Israel’s Security movement, which includes around 550 former officials from Israel’s security agencies as well as former diplomats.
The letter was issued shortly before a scheduled meeting of Israel’s Security Cabinet, where ministers are expected to discuss and approve a military plan to occupy Gaza City.
“A clear majority of Israeli public opinion prioritises ending the war in order to ensure the immediate release of our abductees,” the former officials wrote to Trump.
They called for “forming an alternative governing authority composed of Arab states that have expressed willingness to take part in the mission, including the deployment of armed forces, and coordination with the Palestinian Authority, while maintaining Israel’s inalienable right to self-defence.”
Signatories include former chiefs of staff, former directors of the Mossad and Shin Bet agencies, ex-police commissioners, and former heads of Israel’s National Security Council.
On Aug. 18, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas accepted a Gaza ceasefire proposal put forward by Egyptian and Qatari mediators. While Israel has not responded to the proposal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave orders to proceed with a plan to occupy Gaza City.
Israel has killed nearly 63,500 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
