550 Former Israeli Officials Call to End Gaza War, Say Hamas is No Longer a Threat

Over 500 former Israeli officials signed an open letter to President Donald Trump asking him to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza, noting that Hamas isn’t a threat anymore.

The Details: The letter asks Trump to use his influence with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli people to pressure Netanyahu to “end the war, return the hostages, stop the suffering.” The former security officials wrote, “It is our professional judgment that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel,” and that Israel has already achieved all its military objectives.

For Context: Netanyahu reportedly decided to fully occupy Gaza on August 4. Hamas also recently released footage of an emaciated Israeli hostage. Over 60,000 people have died in Gaza since Israel began its military campaign in October of 2023, including a reported 180 deaths from malnutrition as a result of Israel’s heavy restrictions on what is allowed into the region.

Key Quotes: “We wrote the letter as a result of the way we understand the war, and not because of the moral point of view,” former head of Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet and co-author of the letter, Ami Ayalon, said, “But I'm telling you the truth. Personally, I am ashamed of what we are doing in Gaza."

How the Media Covered It: BBC (Center bias) highlighted critical perspectives from countries pushing for a ceasefire, drawing attention to the widespread famine in Gaza. CBC (Lean Left) focused on Ayalon’s explanation of the letter. Though AllSides did not find coverage of the letter from the right at the time of reporting, New York Post (Lean Right) wrote that Israel’s current military chief opposes Netanyahu’s plan to occupy Gaza. The Post noted that Eyal Zamir’s opposition “has been echoed by 19 former top Israeli military, intelligence and police officials.

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