Netanyahu’s Gaza Plan is About His Own Political Survival

M A Hossain, 

This month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans for the military takeover of Gaza, portraying it as a decisive step to eliminate Hamas, free hostages and secure Israel’s future. In reality, it marks a dangerous escalation and a failure of political imagination, more likely to deepen instability than bring peace.

Israel says it already controls about 75 per cent of Gaza. It now seeks to take the rest, including refugee camps and dense civilian areas. Netanyahu’s insistence on military action suggests desperation disguised as resolve.

The hostage crisis since October 7, 2023 remains a tragedy, but shifting from negotiation to all-out occupation risks killing the very hostages Israel hopes to save. Intelligence indicates that fewer than half are still alive.

On the ground, the humanitarian picture is dire: soaring civilian casualties, mounting evidence of famine and collapsing infrastructure. Human rights groups warn that Israel’s tactics amount to collective punishment and violate international humanitarian law. The International Court of Justice has already cautioned Israel against actions that could amount to genocide. Yet Netanyahu’s government presses ahead on a trajectory that shreds any semblance of a two-state solution.

No credible plan exists for Gaza’s post-war governance. Regional powers are uneasy. Egypt and Jordan have refused to absorb refugees. Saudi Arabia has put normalisation with Israel on hold, pending progress towards Palestinian statehood.

Occupying powers are bound by international law to protect civilians, not starve or displace them. Bombing civilian infrastructure and blocking aid invite allegations of war crimes. Alternatives exist: an immediate ceasefire, renewed diplomacy, monitored humanitarian corridors and a UN-mandated transition to Palestinian self-governance.

Netanyahu seeks a political lifeline, but it erodes Israel’s moral standing and fuels perpetual resistance. Palestinian suffering is not collateral damage – it is the outcome of a failed vision. The future lies not in tanks rolling through Gaza’s camps, but in rebuilding a political path grounded in dignity, rights and coexistence.

M.A. Hossain, Dhaka, Bangladesh

This article published at :

1. South China Morning Post, HK : 20 Aug,25