More than 550 retired security officials, including former chiefs of Mossad and Shin Bet, have called on U.S. President Donald Trump to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza, warning that the war is now unjust and endangers Israel’s security and democratic identity.
Hundreds of former senior Israeli intelligence and military officials have publicly urged the United States to intervene diplomatically to end the nearly two-year-long war in Gaza.
The open letter, signed by 550 ex-security chiefs including three former Mossad directors and five former Shin Bet heads states unequivocally that the war has outlived its military purpose and is now undermining Israeli security rather than protecting it.
“It is our professional judgment that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel,” the letter says, emphasizing that the Israeli military has already dismantled Hamas’s military capabilities and governance in Gaza.
Ami Ayalon, a former Shin Bet director who helped lead the initiative, said in an accompanying video that while the war began as a defensive and just conflict, it has ceased to be just once military objectives were achieved. He warned, “This war is leading the State of Israel to lose its security and identity.”
The letter asks President Trump to use his credibility with Israelis to pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu into negotiating a ceasefire. It also stresses that the most critical remaining objective is a political agreement to secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, stating that further military operations against Hamas operatives should now be considered a secondary priority.
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After a ceasefire, the signatories suggest that Trump could help build a regional coalition to support a reformed Palestinian Authority in taking over governance in Gaza, offering a non-Hamas alternative to Palestinian leadership.
The conflict, which began with a deadly Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, has resulted in massive casualties and destruction. Israeli military operations in Gaza have reportedly killed over 60,000 Palestinians. The humanitarian situation in the enclave has deteriorated dramatically, with widespread starvation, malnutrition, and displacement, drawing global condemnation and growing pressure for a ceasefire.
Despite mounting international concern, some ministers within Netanyahu’s ruling coalition support continuing the military campaign and even occupying parts of Gaza, further complicating diplomatic efforts.
The letter’s signatories include prominent Israeli figures such as former Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Moshe Yaalon both of whom served in top military leadership highlighting a significant divide between experienced security officials and current political leaders on how best to resolve the conflict.
This unprecedented call from Israel’s own security elite underscores deep concerns about the long-term costs and strategic missteps of a prolonged war. The letter, released on August 4, 2025, appeals for urgent international action to end the bloodshed, prioritize the return of Israeli hostages, and support a sustainable political solution in Gaza.
As global focus intensifies on the worsening situation, the former officials’ message marks a turning point in the internal Israeli discourse about the future of the conflict and the country’s moral and strategic direction.
NAN
