Israel intensifies attacks on Gaza as Netanyahu delays ceasefire for electoral gain

Seven months after a 'ceasefire' agreement brokered by mediators to halt the war in Gaza, the deal has become a deadly cover for Israel's ongoing military operations in the territory. According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, Israeli forces have killed at least 880 Palestinians since then, bringing the total death toll in the conflict to 72,797.

With national elections expected in September, analysts and human rights officials say Prime Minister Netanyahu is deliberately stalling the peace process to appease his far-right coalition allies and voters. Mai El-Sheikh, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office in Palestine, told Al Jazeera that Israel has turned the 'ceasefire' into a cover for ongoing war crimes. She warned that Israel is deliberately creating a humanitarian disaster through restrictions on food and medicine, aimed at sowing panic among displaced families.

Systematic destruction and displacement

The relentless violence is accompanied by a fresh systematic destruction campaign by Israel, forcing Palestinians into ever-shrinking living spaces. The Gaza Centre for Rights recorded at least 12 instances in May where Israeli forces issued forcible evacuation orders by phone before razing residential areas in the central camps of Nuseirat, Bureij, and Maghazi. This coincided with large-scale land leveling in eastern Deir el-Balah, an area still under Israeli control.

Human rights monitors warn that these operations lack legitimate military purpose, and targeting ruined structures in 35% of Gaza not directly controlled by Israel is a way to render the entire territory uninhabitable. With nearly 90% of buildings in Gaza destroyed, rights groups argue that prior phone warnings do not absolve Israel of legal responsibility. Instead, this tactic serves a policy of forced displacement for the 2.3 million residents of Gaza.

Political motives

The political calculations driving Israel's leadership in the Gaza war are clear. Mohannad Mustafa, a scholar specializing in Israeli affairs, noted that Netanyahu is mired in a deep strategic and political crisis due to his failure to achieve his declared goal of destroying Hamas. The prime minister also faces domestic scrutiny on two other fronts, with Hezbollah launching daily attacks in southern Lebanon and the Iranian government still in power.

'He is obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid, reconstruction, and the deployment of the administrative committee because the ultimate goal remains the comprehensive military occupation of the Gaza Strip,' Mustafa said. Eyad al-Qarra, a Palestinian political analyst in Khan Younis, argued that Israel has used the demand for disarmament of Palestinian factions, including Hamas, as an excuse to evade ceasefire commitments. Al-Qarra argued that even if all weapons of these groups were surrendered, Israel would find another reason to continue the war.

Despite the weak enforcement of the ceasefire deal, Gaza residents fear its collapse could open the door to a wider military offensive. Meanwhile, the international mechanism designed to enforce the ceasefire has also broken down. The Peace Council, an international body led by the US overseeing Gaza's administration, has struggled to impose ceasefire terms due to a lack of consensus among its members.

Kenneth Katzman, an American researcher, said President Donald Trump's focus on Iran has created a regional diplomatic vacuum that Israel is exploiting in Gaza. Nickolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian minister and executive member of the Peace Council for Gaza, warned the UN Security Council that without a reconstruction plan, the situation in Gaza will remain under threat indefinitely.