Israel’s resumption of widespread strikes in the Gaza Strip has starkly exposed the country’s political divisions, with many set to take to the streets to protest that the fighting endangers hostages in Gaza, as far-right politicians welcome the surprise campaign which has already killed hundreds of Palestinians.
Advocates for hostages in Gaza said the Israeli bombing campaign, which appears to have all but ended a ceasefire that brought two months of relative calm and hostage releases in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is condemning the remaining captives, most of whom are Israeli, to death.
It comes after months during which polling has shown growing support in Israel for the release of hostages in preference to continuing the Gaza war, despite many in Mr Netanyahu’s far-right coalition advocating full-throttle war against Hamas, including a total siege on the strip and the blocking of all humanitarian aid.
There are also fears in Israel that a major new campaign would add stress to the economy, which is struggling after 18 months of war. The calling up of thousands of reservists, many of whom have already spent hundreds of days on duty during the conflict, is also likely to add to political tensions.
The far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said his government had delivered on a promise to launch a “powerful attack on Gaza with the goal of destroying Hamas, returning all the hostages and removing the threat posed by the Gaza Strip to Israeli citizens”.
He added that the campaign was “built and planned in recent weeks” as the country’s new military chief of staff took up his position, and that the new war effort would “look completely different from what has been done so far”.
Prominent settler organisations welcomed the campaign. Nachala, which leads the push to re-establish Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip, said that “from here on, the path to decisive victory is clear and unambiguous – occupation, expulsion, settlement”. It added: “The time has come for a full Jewish return to the Gaza Strip.”
Fear for remaining hostages
News of the strikes was met with horror by the largest forum representing hostages held in Gaza, which said that “the greatest fear of the families, the hostages, and the citizens of Israel has come true”.
“The Israeli government has chosen to give up on the hostages ... Returning to fighting before the last hostage returns will come at the cost of the 59 hostages who are still in Gaza and could still be saved,” a statement added.
Former hostages took to social media to decry the strikes. Emily Damari, who was released in the latest deal, said her “heart is broken, crushed and disappointed”, in a post on Instagram. The wife of hostage Omri Miran and the former hostage Noa Argamani posted broken heart emojis on X after the news.
The right-wing Tikva Forum, representing a smaller number of hostage families who want Israel to pursue an intense military campaign against Hamas, which they call “the Nazi enemy”, welcomed the resumption of widespread strikes.
“The past weeks have proven what we have been saying all along – Hamas will never return all the hostages willingly. Only massive military pressure, a complete blockade including cutting off electricity and water, and occupation of territories that will lead to Hamas's collapse, will cause them to beg for a ceasefire and a deal that will return ALL the hostages together, in one stage,” a statement from the group read.
“If the attack that began this morning continues with intensity and without interruption – we can bring all our loved ones home in one stage, on one bus.”
Opponents of the bombing have also accused Mr Netanyahu of launching the new violence to distract from the scandal of his attempt at the beginning of last week to fire the domestic intelligence agency chief Ronen Bar, which opponents view as an illegal move that amounts to an existential threat to Israel’s future.
Mr Bar, who heads the Shin Bet, was reportedly overseeing investigations into allegations that staffers of Mr Netanyahu were paid large sums by Qatar during the Gaza war and in favour of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 attacks, something Mr Netanyahu reportedly views as a major threat to his leadership.
Yair Golan, now one of the country’s most prominent opposition politicians, accused the Prime Minister of “using the lives of our citizens and soldiers because he trembles in fear of us – the public protest against the dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet”. He added that Israelis must take action to wrest their country “from the hands of this corrupt and dangerous man”.
