Dozens of former captives and hundreds of family members have written a letter to Israel’s government demanding an end to the attacks on Gaza to secure the release of those still held by Hamas, Al Jazeera reports.

“This letter was written in blood and tears. It was drafted by our friends and families whose loved ones were killed and murdered in captivity and who are crying out: ’Stop the fighting. Return to the negotiating table and fully complete an agreement that will return all of the hostages, even at the cost of ending the war,” the Times of Israel quoted the letter as saying.

“The military pressure is endangering them and there is nothing more urgent than returning all hostages.”

The letter criticised the government for “choosing an endless war over saving and returning the hostages, and by doing that sacrificing them. This is a criminal policy — you do not have a mandate to sacrifice 59 hostages.”