Tel Aviv / PNN /

The heads of five leading Israeli universities sent a letter on Monday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to instruct the Israeli military to act—regardless of Hamas—to address the “horrific hunger spreading through Gaza,” which they said is severely impacting innocent civilians, including children.

“We are shocked by the scenes coming out of Gaza—children dying daily from hunger and disease,” the university presidents wrote. “Freeing the hostages and minimizing harm to our soldiers are noble goals. But as a people who were victims of the horrific Holocaust in Europe, we have a special obligation to use every means at our disposal to prevent and refrain from the indiscriminate and brutal harm of innocent men, women, and children.”

The signatories expressed alarm at statements made by Israeli ministers and Knesset members advocating the deliberate destruction of Gaza and the displacement of its civilian population. “We expect a clear and unequivocal condemnation from you and your government of such extremist rhetoric,” the letter continued. “These are deeply immoral calls for actions that prominent legal experts in Israel and around the world consider to be war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

The letter also criticised the reported plan to establish a so-called “humanitarian city” as part of Israel’s strategy, describing it as a sign of “lost restraint and humanity” that would cause irreversible harm and leave a permanent stain on the nation’s conscience.

The letter was signed by Prof. Alon Chen, President of the Weizmann Institute of Science; Prof. Asher Cohen, President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Prof. Uri Sivan, President of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology; Prof. Ariel Porat, President of Tel Aviv University; and Prof. Leo Corry, President of the Open University of Israel.