Israeli special forces veterans call for ceasefire deal: Report

A group of nearly 500 Israeli special forces veterans - including some currently serving as reservists - have issued a statement calling for an end to Israel's war on Gaza and the return of captives.

In a letter, 472 former members of elite units said the return of those held in Gaza must take priority over all else, Haaretz reported.

Bringing the captives back "is the most important moral imperative today, and it takes precedence over any other goal or value,” the letter reads.

The veterans warned that allowing the captives to remain in Gaza for 556 days was not only a humanitarian failure—it was corroding Israel’s very core.

“The fact that soldiers and civilians have been held captive in Gaza for 556 days undermines the moral foundations of the state, the principle of mutual responsibility, and the military values on which we were raised and continue to uphold.”