Ex-senior security officials urge Trump to leverage Netanyahu meeting to end Gaza war

The head of a group representing over 550 former senior Israeli security officials has penned a letter to US President Donald Trump, urging him to leverage his upcoming meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza.

“It is our professional judgement that the IDF has long accomplished its dual mission of dismantling Hamas governance and essentially destroying its military capabilities,” Commanders for Israel’s Security chair Maj. Gen. (ret) Matan Vilnai writes.

Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel, and as demonstrated this year on multiple fronts, Israel possesses overwhelming power and ability to neutralize any threat that might arise from Gaza in the future,” he continues.

Coming out against Netanyahu’s prosecution of the war, Vilnai writes that further fighting “risks the lives of hostages, will continue to cost yet more IDF casualties and prolong the suffering of innocent Palestinians.”

“More broadly, it is likely to cause a loss of momentum in leveraging military achievements in Gaza, Lebanon and most recently Iran, towards implementing your vision for a regional strategic transformation.”

“Furthermore, it is also the professional judgement of the hundreds of CIS retired generals that a partial and staggered hostage deal and a limited ceasefire entail the same risks to the lives of remaining hostages, to IDF soldiers and to innocent Palestinians, and will most likely lead to renewed fighting, all while reducing prospects for expanding the Abraham Accords and forging a regional alliance that includes Israel,” he adds.