Trending 
Dozens of retired Israeli security leaders, including past heads of intelligence services, are calling on US President Donald Trump to urge their government to bring an end to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
“It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel,” the former officials wrote in an open letter shared with the media on Monday.
“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 Ami Ayalon, former director of the Shin Bet security service.
Ayalon expressed concern in a video accompanying the letter, stating that the prolonged war, now nearing its 23rd month, is causing Israel to jeopardise its security and identity.
The letter, signed by 550 individuals, including former heads of the Shin Bet and the Mossad, requested that Trump guide Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu towards agreeing to a ceasefire.
Israel initiated its military actions in the Gaza Strip in response to the October 7, 2023, attack carried out by the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas.
Recently, Israel has faced growing international pressure to consider a ceasefire that would facilitate the release of Israeli hostages from Gaza and enable UN agencies to provide humanitarian assistance.
However, some people in Israel, including members of Netanyahu’s coalition government, are advocating for continued military action and the potential occupation of Gaza, either entirely or partially.
The letter was endorsed by three former heads of Mossad: Tamir Pardo, Efraim Halevy, and Danny Yatom. Additional signatories include five former heads of Shin Bet—Ayalon, along with Nadav Argaman, Yoram Cohen, Yaakov Peri, and Carmi Gilon—and three former military chiefs of staff, such as former prime minister Ehud Barak, former defence minister Moshe Yaalon, and Dan Halutz.
In their letter, the former officials convey to Trump that he holds trust among a significant portion of Israelis and can compel Netanyahu to conclude the war and secure the return of hostages.
Following a ceasefire, the signatories contend that Trump could leverage a regional coalition to support a reformed Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza instead of Hamas.
