Tel Aviv — Israel’s latest push to seize Gaza City has triggered an unprecedented wave of condemnation at home and abroad, with even senior members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition denouncing the plan as a doomed and politically driven stunt. The controversial military blueprint, aimed at expanding Israel’s occupation amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza, has been branded by critics as a recycling of failed strategies that will deepen Israel’s quagmire and further isolate it on the world stage.
Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, a staunch supporter of the war in Gaza, openly dismissed the proposal as “pointless,” warning it would expose Israel to prolonged guerrilla warfare without achieving any decisive military or political gains. The Israeli military itself has quietly acknowledged the risk of a drawn-out urban conflict, where armed resistance, fortified by two years of relentless bombardment, could lead to significant losses for Israeli forces.
On August 9, Tel Aviv witnessed one of the largest demonstrations since the October 7 attacks, with more than 100,000 protesters demanding an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages. Families of captives accused Netanyahu of sacrificing their loved ones for political survival, while anti-war activists denounced what they called Israel’s “blood-soaked obsession” with subjugating Palestinians. Chants condemning the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza echoed through Rabin Square late into the night, amplifying calls for an end ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The deepening divisions have prompted Netanyahu to convene an emergency security cabinet session, as international pressure mounts on Israel to abandon the offensive. Diplomats from the global south, the European Union, and even some of Israel’s allies in the west have expressed alarm, warning that the move will further erode what little remains of Israel’s legitimacy after months of indiscriminate airstrikes and a death toll that has already claimed more than 62,000 Palestinian lives.
According to Reuters, the backlash against Netanyahu’s new Gaza plan underscores Israel’s growing isolation, as the war in Gaza enters its second year with no political resolution in sight. The report noted that even the military’s top brass has cautioned against deepening the offensive, citing the risks to both hostages and soldiers in an operation that could end in stalemate.
