JERUSALEM, Apr 14 : More than 250 former officials of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency have written a letter urging the Israeli government to immediately end the war in the Gaza Strip and bring about the release of the Israeli hostages still held there.
The signatories of the letter include three former Mossad chiefs: Danny Yatom, Efraim Halevy, and Tamir Pardo, as well as dozens of other veteran officials in the service.
The ex-Mossad members said, “Continued fighting endangers the lives of the hostages and our soldiers, and every possibility must be exhausted to reach an agreement that will end the suffering. We call on the government to make courageous decisions and act responsibly for the country’s security.”
The former intelligence operatives expressed support for hundreds of military aircrew members, in reserve or retired, who signed a similar letter, calling for the cessation of all hostilities and the return of the hostages.
Following the publication of the aircrew members’ letter on Thursday, Israeli Air Force Commander Tomer Bar decided to terminate the service of active reservists among the signatories, Xinhua reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the dismissal decision and lashed out at such letters, calling the signatories “an extremist fringe group” attempting to “break Israeli society from within.”
The letter was further backed by another petition filed by 200 Israeli military doctors, demanding that all fighting be stopped and so that the hostages can be brought back.
The letter stated that “the continued fighting in Gaza is primarily intended to serve political and personal interests, without any security purpose, and endangers the lives of soldiers and hostages,” adding that it “does not advance the achievement of the goals of the war declared from the beginning and only endangers IDF soldiers and the lives of our citizens being held hostage,” according to The Jerusalem Post.
The two new letters add to the two already existing letters signed by veteran pilots and Unit 8200 veterans published on Tuesday and Friday, respectively.
The Gaza based terror outfit Hamas took 251 hostages to Gaza during its October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel. Currently, 59 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with 24 of them still believed to be alive.
Israel and Hamas reached a three-phase, ceasefire-for-hostages deal in January. However, negotiations on the second phase face an impasse after the first six-week phase expired on March 1. Israel then resumed military operations in Gaza on March 18 amid the ceasefire deadlock.
(UNI)
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