550 former Israeli security officials have written an open letter to US President Donald Trump asking him to force Israel to end the war in Gaza, according to the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post.

The 600 former leaders, who unite in the group Commanders for Israel's Security (CIS), explicitly ask Trump to intervene."Stop the Gaza war. You did it in Lebanon. Time to do it in Gaza too," they say.

According to the group, Hamas no longer poses a threat to its country."The IDF (the Israeli army, ed.) has long since achieved the two goals that could have been achieved by force: dismantling the military formations and dismantling the Hamas administration."

"The main goal can only be achieved through an agreement: the return of all hostages. The pursuit of remaining Hamas leaders can be done later. Our hostages cannot wait."

In addition, CIS wants Israel to accept the proposed international plan in which Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, along with a reformed Palestinian Authority, would take charge of Gaza's post-war administration.

Not their first attempt

The letter is signed by, among others, Tamir Pardo (a former head of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad), Ami Ayalon (a former head of the Shin Bet domestic security service) and Matan Vilnai (a former deputy chief of the Israeli army).

According to the group, Israel risks becoming isolated."By that, they mean international isolation, partly due to the increasing number of countries that want to recognize a Palestinian state," explains Ralph Dekkers, correspondent in Israel."If you look realistically at the damage Hamas can inflict in the coming years—perhaps even decades—it is a lot less than the damage Israel's image could suffer."

This is not the first time that CIS has urged the Israeli government to change course and focus on returning Israeli hostages and developing a post-war plan for Gaza.

According to The Jerusalem Post, this had an effect on the policies of former US President Joe Biden, but under Trump –"who tends to oppose defense chiefs who express criticism" – there is much more uncertainty.

"I don't think Netanyahu and his government will listen to this either," said Dekkers."The CIS is being dismissed as a left-wing elite. 'We listen to the will of the people,' says the Israeli government. It looks more likely that the offensive will be expanded."