As the Israeli army announced it was preparing plans for the occupation of Gaza City, initial reports indicate the ceasefire negotiations may resume, leaving open the question of whether Netanyahu’s occupation plan is a negotiating tactic.
Netanyahu chose to blow up the ceasefire and starve Gaza’s population in order to force a surrender from Hamas, while top military and security officials favored moving to the second phase of a ceasefire, leaked cabinet meeting minutes reveal.
Israeli media is reporting that Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli army to expand its offensive in Gaza and reoccupy the entire Strip.
Israel just submitted its latest objections to Hamas’s revised ceasefire proposal amid unprecedented international outcry over hunger in Gaza, as 27 Palestinians have died of starvation in the last week alone.
The U.S. has pulled out of the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas as Trump says that Hamas “didn’t really want to make a deal,” despite reports that its latest proposal was “better” than the one it had presented earlier in the week.
Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington this week to meet with Trump administration officials following the countries’ joint attack on Iran. The lack of transparency about what was actually discussed could be a very dangerous sign.
Another U.S.-run aid center was the site of a massacre in southern Gaza after Israeli forces opened fire on civilians. “The Americans and Israelis set a huge trap for us to lure us here and kill us,” an eyewitness told Mondoweiss.
Israel announced the initial phase of “Gideon’s chariots,” the expanded ground invasion to permanently “conquer” Gaza, amid reports that Trump reneged on his deal with Hamas to lift the blockade, and will reportedly expel 1 million Gazans to Libya.
The release of Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander, following direct negotiations between the U.S. and Hamas, comes after the Trump administration had already caught Israel off guard by agreeing to halt hostilities with Yemen’s Ansar Allah.
Internal dissent in Israel’s military establishment is pushing the government to sign a ceasefire deal that would return Israeli captives at any cost. Netanyahu might find a political way out by promising right-wing allies that the West Bank is next.