Israel-Hamas war: Is Netanyahu ready to provoke a regional conflict?

Several weeks ago, the Israeli army ordered Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip to move south to get away from the bombing zones. From now on, the IDF is also shelling the south, particularly near Khan Younes, where the main Hamas leaders are believed to have hidden. The civilians therefore continue their flight, getting closer to the Egyptian border, which remains hermetically closed. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the UN, called on the Security Council to “pressure to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza, where no area is secure anymore, according to the organization. A situation criticized by the American ally. Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the State Department, reminded that there are UN sites “where people can go and which should not be struck. We hope that the Israeli government will respect these secure areas.”

Is the Jewish state ready to slow down its military offensive of unprecedented scale? Will Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listen to Washington or does he want to drag the region into regional chaos? “The images of the Palestinian civilian population break the hearts of all Israelis, but we must completely put an end to Hamas otherwise any political solution is illusory,” remarks Emmanuel Navon, very critical of Netanyahu and who left his party, Likud. This is not Netanyahu’s policy, it is the policy of the whole government, better still the whole country; all Israelis want to win the war. Netanyahu is already politically dead, but even those who hate him agree with it. the policy that is currently being pursued.” According to a recent poll by the Israel Democratic Institute, more than 90% of Israelis want both the release of the hostages, the total destruction of Hamas and the restoration of deterrence.

On the Israeli-Lebanese border, clashes continue between the IDF and Hezbollah. Regarding this, Netanyahu said: “If Hezbollah chooses to start an all-out war, then it will single-handedly transform Beirut and southern Lebanon into Khan Yunis.” However, France and the United States are trying to reach a diplomatic agreement between Israel and Lebanon in order to avoid a regional conflagration.