TEL AVIV (Realist English). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted at a possible intensification of military operations in Gaza, despite growing calls from within Israel’s own security establishment to bring the 22-month war to an end.
Speaking after convening a meeting of his Security Cabinet on Tuesday, Netanyahu reiterated his objectives: the defeat of Hamas, the return of remaining hostages, and ensuring Gaza will “never again pose a threat” to Israel. But the meeting concluded without any official announcement of next steps.
Meanwhile, criticism is mounting. A coalition of former Israeli security chiefs — including heads of Shin Bet, Mossad, the IDF, and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak — released a joint video this week warning that far-right ministers in Netanyahu’s cabinet are “holding the country hostage” and prolonging an unwinnable war.
“Netanyahu’s goals in Gaza are a fantasy,” said Yoram Cohen, former director of Shin Bet. “You can’t reach every terrorist and recover every hostage at the same time.”
Tensions have also reportedly emerged between Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who is said to oppose the full occupation of Gaza. Israeli media, citing anonymous officials, reported that Netanyahu is pressing for complete territorial control — a move that could further endanger hostages, deepen the humanitarian crisis, and isolate Israel diplomatically.
In Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump was asked whether he supported a reoccupation of Gaza. “It’s going to be pretty much up to Israel,” he said, adding that he was unaware of such a proposal.
Deaths mount near aid sites
In the latest violence, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israeli troops opened fire on civilians near multiple aid distribution points on Tuesday, killing at least 45 people in central and southern Gaza, including:
- 26 people near the Morag Corridor, an Israeli-controlled zone where UN aid convoys were surrounded by looters and desperate civilians
- Six killed in Teina, near an aid site managed by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)
- Six more bodies reported by Al-Awda Hospital, killed in a separate incident near another aid distribution point
Witnesses described chaotic scenes in Morag as armed looters climbed onto aid trucks and Israeli forces allegedly fired into the crowds. Sami Arafat, a father of seven, said the area was filled with rubble and had no cover:
“There are no buildings to shelter us from the shooting… Looters took the sugar and left the rice.”
Israel’s military did not immediately comment but has previously said its forces only use warning shots when approached.
The Gaza Health Ministry, operating under the Hamas administration, estimates more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October 2023 — about half of them women and children. Though it does not separate civilians from militants, the United Nations considers it the most reliable source of casualty data.
Since May, several hundred Palestinians have reportedly been killed while approaching aid — including airdrops and convoys — according to local officials and UN human rights monitors. Israel disputes the figures.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military liaison office COGAT announced a new arrangement with local Gaza merchants to facilitate aid entry through the private sector. The plan will include a “gradual and controlled renewal” of goods movement, with a limited number of approved traders.
As the humanitarian situation deteriorates, so does the political cohesion inside Israel — with mounting dissent from its own security veterans, concerns from the military leadership, and growing international scrutiny.
