Israel’s military has been conducting operations in Gaza for 675 consecutive days since responding to Hamas’ brutal October 7 attack. Yet war fatigue is growing within Israel as international condemnation reached a new high after the security cabinet approved a military takeover of Gaza City.
The plan was approved on Friday. Before that, Netanyahu had vowed to take over the entire Gaza strip. Nevertheless, the backlash to Friday’s announcement was so intense that by Sunday, Netanyahu responded. He said during a press conference:
Our goal is not to occupy Gaza. Our goal is to free Gaza, free it from Hamas terrorists. The war can end tomorrow if Gaza, or rather if Hamas, lays down its arms and releases all the remaining hostages.
On Monday, Israeli news outlets reported that diplomatic sources told them that Israeli leaders may cancel or delay the plan “in the name of a ceasefire and hostage release deal, should Hamas show a willingness to make significant concessions.” As for Hamas, Palestinian sources told Israeli news outlets that the terrorist organization’s “willingness to make progress in the talks rests on whether Israel cancels its Gaza City takeover plan.”
In the meantime, Netanyahu claims the plan isn’t for Israel to hold on to Gaza permanently. He told Fox News:
We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it, we don’t want to be there as a governing body. We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life. That’s not possible with Hamas.
The announcement triggered intense backlash among many Western powers that have hitherto backed Israel. Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp told Axios that, “Netanyahu’s cabinet is losing Europe — totally. We stand with Israel, but not with the policy of the Israeli government.” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the move “will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages,” a sentiment shared by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), which warns that the operation “risks the lives of the remaining hostages in addition to potentially sparking a humanitarian disaster.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has been hawkish on the Eastern European war front, went beyond words of condemnation. He announced that Germany will halt weapons exports to Israel. He said on Sunday, “We cannot supply weapons to a conflict that is being attempted to be resolved exclusively by military means, which could claim hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties.” France’s foreign ministry said the plan “would constitute further serious violations of international law and lead to a complete dead end.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said, “We join many others in viewing that this is wrong, that this action is not going to contribute to an improvement in the humanitarian situation on the ground.” Representatives of Australia, Italy, and New Zealand chimed in with their version of finger wagging as well.
The heads of globalist entities also objected. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called the plan a “dangerous escalation” that may worsen “the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians.” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said, “The Israeli government’s decision to further extend its military operation in Gaza must be reconsidered.” Von der Leyen urged a ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and “unhindered access” to humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.
One major power that has not objected is the United States. When asked about the plan last week, Trump said, “I know that we are there now trying to get people fed.… As far as the rest of it, I really can’t say. That’s going to be pretty much up to Israel.” On Monday, Trump told Axios that he didn’t think Hamas would release the remaining hostages, of which there are believed to be about 20 who are still alive, “in the current situation,” the insinuation being that Israel needed to tighten the screws.
The disapproval from Western nations is a recent development, one highly influenced by what more people are beginning to view as an unjust, inhumane assault on civilians in Gaza, which has been turned to rubble and its citizens rendered hungry and homeless.
There are signs that, even within Israel, support for the Gaza operation has eroded. A poll aired by Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 in July found that 74 percent of Israelis wanted the war to end. According to the report on the poll:
Seventy-four percent of Israelis, including 60% of people who voted for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, back an agreement with Hamas that would release all the hostages at once in exchange for an end to the Gaza war, according to a poll aired Friday on Channel 12.
Axios reported that Israeli officials said it will take several weeks to plan the takeover and the evacuation of civilians from Gaza City. This allows time for a potential agreement.