Several former senior figures in the security establishment met with President Isaac Herzog to call on him to establish a state investigation commission and bring the hostages home, according to a Thursday report by Israel's public broadcaster KAN.
Herzog reportedly met with former chiefs of staff, police commissioners, heads of Mossad, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and Military Intelligence, who presented him with various security, political, and social policies that they believed harmed the "strength and security" of the State of Israel.
The meeting included former Mossad head Efraim Halevy, former Shin Bet head Yoram Cohen, former Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Dan Halutz, and former head of Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Uri Sagi.
They called on Herzog to do all he could to return the remaining hostages and begin reconstruction in the North and the communities surrounding Gaza.
Returning the hostages
One participant emphasized that returning the hostages was of the highest moral importance for Israeli society.
Another said that "total victory" was "nothing more than a trick of the tongue" and that unless civilians returned to the North and the Gaza communities, there would be no point in talking of a "victorious campaign."
Addressing the "Draft Law," one participant called on Herzog to help prevent a "corrupt" draft law that would allow for evasion.
They also pushed for the establishment of a state investigation committee.
This meeting comes as multiple letters signed by veterans and reservists from various sections of the security establishment call for a swift end to the war and the return of all hostages.