Political tension in Israel over the country’s actions war against Hamas in the streets of Gaza spilled out into public view again there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved an influential group that has, since Hamas launched a terrorist attack on October 7 and triggered the war, helped to set Israel’s war policies.
Netanyahu dissolved the war cabinet, a coalition of political rivals created after the Hamas attacks to spread and show unity at the top levels of the Israeli government during the conflict.
The union collapsed last week when Benny Gantz, Netanyahu’s main moderate opponent, resigned from his post in the government and the war cabinet over what has been said Failed for now any plan to govern Gaza after the war.
Image by Matan Golan/SOPA/LightRocket/Getty
The now-dissolved war cabinet was also formed to bypass some right-wing ministers in a wider cabinet, and many inside and outside Israel fear that Netanyahu will move to the right after Gantz’s move. Netanyahu formed the current coalition government – Israel the most extreme right-wing cabinet – with members of far-right Israeli parties remaining in key positions, and whose figures are the linchpin of his ability to govern effectively, and even keep his job.
An official with Netanyahu’s Likud party said on Monday that the prime minister is creating a new small group that will question the war decision. Sources indicate that extreme right-wing government ministers will still not be involved in the day-to-day fighting, but major policy decisions related to the conflict will still be made by Israel’s wider security cabinet, which includes far-right members.
The above shakeup comes a day after Israel declare a “tactical pause” in the fighting along a road of about 7.5 miles in the Rafah area. The pause will be in effect during the day, and only on certain roads near southern Gaza City, which has seen serious fighting in recent weeks as Israel pursues what it says are some of the remaining Hamas fighting units in Palestinian territory.
The Israel Defense Forces said the pause was intended to allow more humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza through the crucial Rafah border with Egypt and then be distributed by the UN and other organizations north of the region.
After the military announced the plan, Netanyahu’s office issued a statement confirming that combat operations against Hamas would continue in the city of Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza.
The war has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Hamas’ Health Ministry, and the bloodshed continues as Muslims around the world mark the Eid al-Adha holiday. Today is a holy day for thousands of displaced Gazan families, including those who spoke to the CBS News team in Gaza as they took refuge in their cages.
“Our hearts are saddened when we hear people eat Eid al-Fitr sweets,” the grandmother told our team. “We don’t even have shoes. I can’t carry anything except my crippled son and my newborn grandson. I’m paralyzed, like I’m dead.”
OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP/Getty
The Biden administration and Israel accused Hamas of reneging on an agreement to secure the release of more than 70 hostages believed to be still being held alive in Gaza, along with the remains of 30 others, in exchange for a ceasefire. Hamas, the US said last week, has demanded some changes to the current draft proposal in its offer, some of which Secretary of State Antony Blinken said was unacceptable.
If the newly announced daily lull in the fighting along the main road in southern Gaza, it will at least help address some of the overwhelming humanitarian needs in the Palestinian territories, as Israeli forces continue to pursue the remaining Hamas brigades in Rafah.
But the fighting across the street in Rafah looks set to continue. eight Israeli soldiers were killed at the weekend when an armored vehicle was hit by an explosion in the area.
In central Gaza, meanwhile, nine people were killed overnight when a house was hit by Israeli fire. The tactical pause did not apply there, and the war continued.
Chris Livesay
