More than 1,000 scientists worldwide, mainly psychologists and neuroscientists, have signed an open letter urging a cease-fire in Gaza and for the international community to pressure Israel to respect international humanitarian law, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
Signatories include Nobel laureates May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser from Norway and Susumu Tonegawa from Japan.
Several Spanish researchers, including Pablo Lanillos, a member of the Neuro Artificial Intelligence and Robotics group at the Cajal Institute, also signed the letter.
"This appeal is powerful because it comes from neuroscientists — people who study how the brain perceives and processes such conflicts," Lanillos told EFE.
The letter is said to have condemned the violence committed by all sides, including the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, the holding of hostages, and "innumerable war crimes" committed by Israel, which has killed more than 48,000 people in Gaza since the start of the conflict more than a year ago.
Without international pressure, extremists in power feel emboldened to carry out lethal intentions, perpetuating hatred and violence, the letter warns.
The scientists say that the region is trapped in a destructive cycle of violence and vengeance that undermines the possibility of peaceful coexistence, adding that "hatred, death and destruction" are taking over.
According to EFE, the letter says human psychology often exaggerates differences between groups in conflict but also points to a universal capacity for empathy and cooperation.
The scientists called on the international community to press Israel to end the war, including through stopping arms sales or re-evaluating cooperation agreements.
"We are not against the Israeli people," the letter says. "We are for all peoples — Israeli, Palestinian, and Lebanese."
Israel's current policies, they argue, have inflicted irreparable harm on Palestinians and jeopardized the safety of its own people.
The letter was started by researchers at the Sorbonne University in France and Princeton in the U.S.
