Gaza war 'could have ended long ago', ex-IOF admit, urging ceasefire
4 Min Read
Nineteen former Israeli security officials, including Ehud Barak and ex-Mossad and Shin Bet heads, urge a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, saying the war is politically driven and warn of deep national and strategic losses.
-
A Palestinian carries the body of a man killed while trying to receive aid near a distribution center operated by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in Netzarim, in the Gaza Strip, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. (AP)
More than a dozen former senior Israeli security officials have released a joint video urging an immediate end to the Gaza war, arguing that the prolonged fighting has yielded more losses than victories and continues primarily due to political, not strategic, motives.
The statement comes from 19 retired officials, including former IOF Chiefs of Staff, intelligence and security agency heads, and police commissioners. Notable among them are former IOF Chief of Staff and Prime Minister Ehud Barak, former Chiefs of Staff Moshe Ya’alon and Dan Halutz, and former Shin Bet director Yoram Cohen.
“Each of these people sat in cabinet meetings, operated in the inner circles, attended all the most sensitive decision-making processes, the most delicate,” a voiceover introduces in the video. “Together, they have more than a thousand years’ experience in national security and diplomacy.”
In the video, the retired officials assert that the Gaza war could have ended long ago. They call on "Israel" to declare a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and pursue a comprehensive captive deal, securing the release of the remaining 50 captives in one coordinated exchange.
'Israel' is 'on the precipice of defeat'
According to former Shin Bet director Ami Ayalon, “We have a duty to stand up and say what we need to say. This war started as a just war. It was a defensive war. But once we achieved all its military objectives... this war stopped being a just war. It is leading the State of Israel to the loss of its security and identity.”
Former military intelligence chief Amos Malka argues that "Israel" is “well over a year past the point where we could have ended the war with a sufficient operational achievement.” Instead of progressing toward strategic goals, “we are now mostly offsetting losses,” says ex-Shin Bet director Nadav Argaman.
Former Mossad director Tamir Pardo adds that “We are on the precipice of defeat,” pointing to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as a direct consequence of prolonged aggression. “What the world sees today is of our own creation... This lie was sold to the Israeli public, and the world has long since understood that it doesn’t reflect the real picture,” he said.
Pardo also co-signed a letter to US President Donald Trump, urging immediate action and pressure to end the war on Gaza.
Meanwhile, Moshe Ya'alon declared, “There are moments that represent a black flag in which one must stand firm and say: This far and no further. Right now, we have a government that the messianic zealots have pulled in a certain, irrational direction.”
Yoram Cohen echoed that concern, warning that “They are a minority, but the problem is that the minority controls the policy," stressing that it is unrealistic to believe that "Israel" can eliminate every resistance fighter, locate every tunnel, and retrieve all captives simultaneously.
Calls for captive deal, accountability
The officials called on those currently holding top positions in the security establishment to take a public stance against the continuation of the war in Gaza.
“They must bravely stand up before the prime minister and before the cabinet and say their piece… about this war and its futility,” urges Argaman, noting, “It is their duty to say what they can do and what cannot be done, even if someone really wants it.”
Read more: Zamir demands Gaza war strategy as rift with Israeli cabinet grows
