Ex-Israeli officials, US health workers urge Trump to end Gaza war
More than 550 former Israeli security officials have called on US President Donald Trump to intervene and put an end to the ongoing invasion of the Gaza Strip, and to secure the release of captives held there.
They sent a letter urging Trump to push for a ceasefire and prioritize the return of Israeli captives during his trip to the region this week, which will take him to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Among the signatories is retired Israeli general Israel Ziv, who held several prominent posts including the head of the Israeli military’s operations directorate.
Ziv lashed out at Netanyahu, saying Trump’s success in securing the release of captive Alexander Aidan on Monday only highlights his failure, calling it “a painful humiliation.”
The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander on Monday evening after talks with the Trump administration.
In the US, over 800 American healthcare workers also urged Trump to end the Gaza siege and enforce a ceasefire.
In a public letter to President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, they called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the full opening of all crossings for humanitarian aid, medical access, and treatment.
They further called for the release of all Palestinian and Israeli prisoners, especially more than 160 detained healthcare workers, including Dr. Husam Abu Safiya.
Abu Safiya was the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, who was arrested by Israeli forces on December 27.
The hospital was stormed by Israeli troops following nearly three months of a blockade and constant airstrikes on its departments and the area surrounding them, leaving it out of service.
According to his lawyer, Safiya and other Palestinian prisoners in Israeli-run detention centers are facing increasingly “inhumane conditions” and torture.
The letter by the American healthcare workers urged Trump to act where former US president Joe Biden did not, warning of catastrophic medical collapse and mass death.
“This is our opportunity to save the lives of 2 million people in Gaza,” it said. “We are witnessing, in real time, the deliberate starvation of a civilian population as a method of warfare.”
The signatories condemned Israel’s blockade and cited US complicity, saying “the humanitarian situation in Gaza is now worse than ever before.”
