Israel under pressure from its allies for a truce in Gaza

Tel-Aviv

Benjamin Netanyahu finds himself stuck in a diplomatic vise that continues to tighten. The Israeli army's aerial, tank and artillery bombardments in the Gaza Strip, which have killed thousands since the start of the war on October 7, have sparked pressure from all sides.

Most European countries, the United Nations, non-governmental organizations and the World Health Organization are outraged by the "collateral" victims, mostly Palestinian civilians, the damage inflicted on hospitals and the humanitarian situation in the enclave which turns into catastrophe.

Also read: The United States asks Israel to spare civilians in Gaza

On Monday, the Israeli Prime Minister had to explain himself in Tel Aviv with the American Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and the Chief of Staff, General Charles Q. Brown, while President Joe Biden denounced “indiscriminate” Israeli air raids in recent days. The Americans are calling for a “reduction in the intensity” of IDF operations in the Gaza Strip.

In other words, it would be a question of putting an end to the first phase of the war launched more than two months ago, following the massacres committed by Hamas commandos in southern Israel which left 1,129 dead. while 240 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage.

The United States believes that the Israelis should, as a second step, limit themselves to attacks targeting only members of the Hamas leadership and military apparatus, while allowing the free passage of humanitarian aid into this enclave. miserable.

The Europeans, particularly France, go much further and call for an “immediate and lasting truce in the fighting”, as demanded by Catherine Colonna, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, during a second visit to Israel on Sunday. On Monday, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, deplored the deaths of “far too many civilians” in Gaza, criticizing a “distressing lack of distinction” by the Israeli army on the ground.

Until now, Benjamin Netanyahu has turned a deaf ear and continues to adopt a martial tone. “Israel will go to the end of the war” to eradicate Hamas, free the approximately 130 hostages still held by the Islamists and maintain security control over the entire Gaza Strip after the war, insists the Prime Minister. To drive the point home, Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he wanted to change the current name of the “iron sword” operation. “It’s the name of an operation, but it is a war,” said one of his relatives, evoking for example the “Gaza war” or the “Simcha Thora war”, the celebration Jewish celebration which was celebrated on October 7.

Also readWar in Gaza: between Israel and Hamas, which benefited the most from the truce

But this posture is beginning to be seriously questioned. At the end of his meeting with Lloyd Austin, the Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, outlined the contours of the next stages of the operation in the territory, indicating that Israel could soon “distinguish several zones in Gaza”.

“In each place where we carry out our mission, we will be able to gradually move towards the next stage, and start working on the return of local populations,” he said. A transition that could be achieved “sooner” in the north of the enclave.

Likewise, Israeli Army Radio indicated that behind the political discourse, army officials have no illusions. “All Hamas tunnels cannot be destroyed, nor all terrorist units dismantled, nor is it certain that all Hamas leaders will be liquidated, nor that all sectors can be raked,” they said. these officials.

An editorial writer for the daily Israel Hayom, for his part, suggested that the government begin to “reduce the expectations of the Israeli population, who believe that the war will not end until a victory.”