Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
Netanyahu vs Gantz: Gaza escalation as reflection of Israel’s political rivalry
Israel's Prime Minister and the Defence Minister — the leader of his government’s main coalition partner — are locked in a battle for political survival: war on Gaza is a tried and tested method of gaining public support ahead of an electoral showdown, writes RAMZY BAROUD
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu

ONLY recently, the Palestinian group, Hamas, and Israel seemed close to reaching a prisoner exchange agreement, where Hamas would release several Israeli soldiers held in Gaza while Israel would set free an unspecified number of Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons.

Instead of the much-anticipated announcement of some kind of a deal, on August 10 Israeli bombs began falling on the besieged strip and incendiary balloons, originating in Gaza, made their way to the Israeli side of the fence.

So, what happened?

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
RESPECT EARNED: Palestinian activists hang the flags of Spain and Norway in the West Bank city of Ramallah, in recognition of their diplomatic efforts for Palestine, September 16 2025
Features / 19 September 2025
19 September 2025

Spain has joined South Africa’s ICJ genocide case against Israel while imposing weapons bans and port restrictions, moves partly driven by trade unions — proving just how effectively civil society can reshape government policy, writes RAMZY BAROUD

Palestinian and Israeli activists take part in a protest against the killing of journalists in the Gaza Strip as they gather in the West Bank town of Beit Jala, August 15, 2025
Features / 19 August 2025
19 August 2025

With foreign media banned from Gaza, Palestinians themselves have reversed most of zionism’s century-long propaganda gains in just two years — this is why Israel has killed 270 journalists since October 2023, explains RAMZY BAROUD

Parachutes drop supplies into the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.
Genocide / 14 August 2025
14 August 2025

Gaza’s collective sumud has proven more powerful than one of the world’s best-equipped militaries, but the change in international attitudes isn’t happening fast enough to save a starving population from Western-backed genocide, argues RAMZY BAROUD

US President Donald Trump (right) shakes the hand of Israel'
Features / 15 April 2025
15 April 2025
Once able to defy a US president before Congress, Netanyahu now finds himself weakened by military setbacks and facing a populist Trump who may yet put ‘America first’ instead of Israel, writes RAMZY BAROUD