**Israel’s Planned Gaza Offensive: A Recipe for Disaster**
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the country is on the “eve of a fierce entry into Gaza”, with the aim of capturing territory and holding onto it. The new offensive, set to begin after Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia next week, is calculated to bring back all remaining hostages, followed by the collapse of Hamas and its defeat.
However, experts warn that this plan is fraught with danger and will only exacerbate the already volatile situation in Gaza. The war between Palestinians, Israel, and Hamas has reached a critical point since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Prolonging the conflict will divide Israelis, cause more Palestinian civilians to die, and horrify millions of people around the world.
**A Blockade that’s Failing**
Israel’s decision to block all humanitarian aid over two months ago has been cited as a major contributor to the starvation in Gaza. The UN and Arab nations have condemned this blockade, with Britain and the European Union now also opposed to a new Israeli offensive.
The foreign ministers of France, Germany, and the UK warned that the blockade put Palestinian civilians at “acute risk of starvation and epidemic disease”, including one million children. They insisted that humanitarian aid must never be used to promote political agendas and that the Palestinian Territory must not be reduced or subjected to any demographic changes.
**Israel Denies War Crimes**
Despite these warnings, Israel denies violating international humanitarian law and laws of war in Gaza. However, their own ministers have said the opposite, with Defense Minister Israel Katz calling the blockade a “main lever of pressure” against Hamas – a comment that sounds like an admission that a blockade can be used as a weapon, even though it causes civilians to starve.
**Critics Say Netanyahu’s Motives are Political**
Israeli critics of Netanyahu argue that prolonging the conflict with a new offensive rather than ending it with a ceasefire is about Netanyahu’s own political survival and not Israel’s security or the return of hostages. Many Israelis have refused to serve in the reserve, citing concerns that the prime minister continues the war because his hard right would bring down the government if he didn’t.
**Families of Hostages Fear Being Abandoned**
The families of hostages in Israel have been vocal critics of the planned offensive, fearing that they will be abandoned by a government that claims to rescue them. Netanyahu’s government has repeatedly claimed that only maximum military pressure will bring the survivors home and the bodies back to their families.
**A Ceasefire Agreement that Never Was**
In reality, the largest releases of hostages occurred during ceasefires. The last ceasefire agreement, demanded by Trump during the final days of Biden’s administration, included a second phase that was supposed to result in the release of all hostages and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. However, Netanyahu’s extremists told him that they would bring his government down if he agreed on a second phase ceasefire.
**A Recipe for Insurgency**
According to President Joe Biden’s administration, the carnage inflicted on Gaza by Israel has been a recruiting sergeant in favor of Hamas and other groups. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that “we estimate that Hamas recruited almost as many militants as they have lost.” This is a recipe for an insurgency that will last forever and a war that will never end.
In conclusion, Israel’s planned Gaza offensive is a recipe for disaster, with the potential to kill more Palestinian civilians, deepen the misery for survivors and bereaved in Gaza, and widen toxic rifts between Israel and the Palestinians.
