Israeli Official Questions Gaza War Resumption as Military Pressure Fails to Sway Hamas
High-Level Israeli Meeting Approved Airstrikes Amid Stalled Ceasefire Talks, Raising Doubts Over War Strategy.
Watan-An Israeli official criticized the resumption of Israel’s war on Gaza on Tuesday, stating that military pressure has failed to change Hamas’ stance in ceasefire negotiations.
According to Israel’s Kan public broadcaster, an unnamed Israeli security official expressed skepticism about the renewed military offensive in Gaza.
He stated:”The large-scale military pressure has not made Hamas more flexible in negotiations so far, so why would one night of airstrikes achieve that?”
High-Level Israeli Meeting Approved Renewed Attacks
Kan reported that Sunday’s security consultations led to the approval of the airstrikes on Gaza, which began on Tuesday.
The meeting included:
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
- Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
- Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer
- Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi
- Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar
- Military Intelligence Head Aharon Haliva
- Other senior security officials
The report added that all participants, including Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar, supported resuming the war on Gaza.
“All members of the meeting unanimously agreed to attack Hamas after hostage negotiations in Qatar reached a dead end,” Kan reported.
The broadcaster further revealed:”The outlines for returning to war were presented in principle at a meeting of the Security Cabinet earlier this week, but ministers were not informed of the exact timing of the attack.”
At this stage, Israel has limited its operations to airstrikes, but has warned that further escalatory steps will follow if hostage negotiations remain stalled.
Netanyahu’s Office Justifies Attack as Response to Hamas’ Rejection of U.S. Offer
At dawn on Tuesday, Israel unexpectedly resumed its war on Gaza with a massive military escalation across most of the territory.
Netanyahu’s office released a statement justifying the offensive, claiming that Hamas had rejected proposals presented by U.S. envoy Steve Wietkoff and other mediators.
This marks the largest violation of the ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States in January.
