Last night’s Israeli security cabinet decision to invade Gaza City is only the latest of a string of decisions to take the most violent, destructive measures possible in the name of “defeating Hamas.” Two days ago, Israeli news outlet Channel 13 published transcripts of a March 1 meeting, at which Netanyahu rejected calls from senior ministers to advance ceasefire negotiations, and deliberately restricted all aid to Gaza in order to force Hamas to surrender. According to Middle East Eye, the transcripts show that Netanyahu ignored repeated calls from senior defense officials to move to the second phase of the Jan. 19 three-phase ceasefire agreement, in order to secure the release of Israeli captives, and then to renew hostilities after.
Netanyahu, instead, chose to unilaterally break the ceasefire in March and bar all aid to Gaza, ostensibly in the hopes of forcing a surrender by Hamas. This was in spite of the fact that Hamas was in full compliance with the ceasefire agreement, contrary to the war cabinet’s expectations.
According to the transcripts, the defense officials’ calls were backed by the Mossad, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, and Defense Minister Israel Katz, who argued for advancing the deal, believing that a temporary pause in fighting could see the return of all Israeli captives held in Gaza. Major General Nitzan Alon, who is in charge of the hostage portfolio at the Defense Ministry, is quoted as saying: “The only chance to get hostages released is to discuss Phase B conditions.” Bar said that his “preferred option is to move to Phase B,” adding that Israel could “resume the war afterward.”
Katz supported a partial deal, stating: “If Hamas returns even a number of hostages—less than half—that’s excellent.” Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer noted that the Israeli war cabinet “thought the talks would explode once we entered them—and that didn’t happen.”
