Gaza, world’s most attention-demanding theatre of war

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's plan to seize Gaza City and the southern enclave is primarily personal. His timing is significant. He made this announcement ahead of the August 15th two-decade anniversary of the launch of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza of settlers and soldiers ordered by his predecessor Ariel Sharon. As Netanyahu opposed the evacuation of Gaza, his motive is at least in part delayed revenge against Sharon.

Netanyahu also seeks revenge against Hamas which he favoured over many years by allowing funds to flow into his (its) coffers. His aim was to foster a counterweight to Fatah and promote the split between Gaza and the West Bank, dividing the Palestinian resistance front. Hamas paid him back by mounting its October 7th, 2023, raid into Israel, killing 1,139 and abducting 251. This amounted to tragedy for Israel and humiliation for Netanyahu.

He wants to wreak revenge on the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza by driving them from homes he destroyed or damaged and imposing a months-long starvation blockade. He blames Gazans for tolerating Hamas which seized control of the strip from Fatah in 2007. He does not take into account that many Gazans have turned against Hamas for both starting a war it could not end and failing to protect Palestinian civilians.

Netanyahu is also taking revenge against Israelis who have opposed his unending Gaza campaign which has carried on for 22 months although Israel has seriously weakened Hamas and could have reached a deal to end the war late last year and in March 2025 and freed the hostages when the latest ceasefire expired. Most Israelis call for an immediate halt to hostilities.

Israeli and international rights organisations are also in line for punishment as they have dubbed Netanyahu's war on Palestinians in Gaza "genocide" and have filed a case charging Israel with "genocide" at the International Court of Justice. The International Criminal Court has issued warrants charging Netanyahu and ex-Defence Minister Yoav Gallant with war crimes, potentially limiting their travel to countries that are not signatories of the court's statute.

Netanyahu is ready to punish senior army officers who have opposed prolonging the war and, especially, waging an offensive to occupy the final 25 per cent, including Gaza City, not yet held by Israel. Hundreds of active officers and reservists have written a letter to US President Donald Trump — who has backed Netanyahu — to ask him to exert pressure on Netanyahu to stop the war. They argue this not only endangers the lives of the hostages but also has put constant strain on the military which is used to fighting limited campaigns lasting a few days, a week, or two.

This is Israel’s longest war. The army command proposed an alternative plan involving bombing and besieging Gaza City but not moving in and occupying the largest urban centre with a population of 660,000 plus tens of thousands of displaced people. Netanyahu is said to be giving Gaza City residents until October 7th, the second anniversary of the Hamas attack, to evacuate. This could also give him time to change his mind.

Netanyahu is determined to defy Israel's traditional Western allies by prosecuting his war for as long as he likes. Unfortunately for him, his war has been waged not only in the air and on the ground of Gaza but also on the airwaves of the world via live coverage on satellite television channels. Wounded and starving Gazan children are pictured daily on television screens everywhere and anywhere, giving little respite from Israel's deadly devastation of Gaza. As a result, Israel has lost "victimhood," being seen as a victim of aggression, a precious public relations tool which has previously preserved Israel from criticism and condemnation. Tiny Gaza has become the globe's most attention-demanding theatre of war.

This has stirred protests across the world and sharp criticism of Trump and other European leaders who have taken no action to end Netanyahu's war. Despite sensitivities over the World War II Holocaust which killed six million Jews, Germany has finally responded by halting deliveries of weapons currently in use in Gaza. Germany is the second largest provider of arms imports for Israel; the US is the first. Trump would not dare follow Berlin's example due to opposition by Israel, its US Israel lobby, and the military-industrial complex which benefits from weapons sales.

Finally, Netanyahu seeks to postpone the reckoning which will come once the war ends. Many blame him for the failure of Israel's military and civil intelligence to act on reports of Hamas' preparations for war and pre-empt and prevent October 7th. These reports were sent to commanders by young women soldiers, known as "watchers," who were posted along the Israel-Gaza border. Their reports were not taken seriously by their male officers or commanders — perhaps because they were women.

Furthermore, ground troops and pilots took their time to respond to Hamas' attack early that morning. Lives coulGazad have been saved and hostages rescued before entering Gaza if the Israeli army response had been prompt. While complaisance in the military was responsible for this failure, Netanyahu was also to blame as he has served as prime minister for nearly 30 years. During this time, he has overseen wars on Gaza in 2008-2009, 2021, and from 2022 until now.

Netanyahu been investigated for fraud, bribery, and breach of trust and was in 2019 indicted by the Jerusalem District Court. While his trial began in May 2020 his testimony was repeatedly postponed by the war until July 2024, when the judges no longer accepted that he could not appear because he was too busy running the war. He faces fines and possible jail time if convicted. On June 26th of this year, Trump called for the immediate cancellation of Netanyahu's trial, but the court rejected Trump's illicit interference in Israel's judicial processes.