The Guardian May 17, 2025
In fact, polls show huge majorities of the Israeli public keen, if not desperate, to see an immediate end to the war.

But Netanyahu is defying his citizens for wholly selfish reasons.
On trial for corruption, he can only be sure to stay out of prison if he remains in the PM’s chair.

To do that, he has to keep his ruling coalition in place, including the two ultra-nationalist extremists, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
Those men want the war to go on and on, dreaming of a Gaza cleared for the return of Jewish settlements.

Thinking only of his own survival, Netanyahu bows to their demands and keeps the fires of war burning no matter the human cost.

This is not an accusation against the government; it is a boast made by them.
Which is how you end up with the atrocity of an Israeli government using starvation as a weapon of war, blocking the entry of all aid into Gaza since 2 March.

The defence minister, Israel Katz, spelled it out last month: “Israel’s policy is clear: no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza.”
He described the blocking of aid as “one of the main pressure levers” on Hamas.

Israeli officials defend airstrikes such as those that killed scores this week by saying they’re aimed at Hamas military sites or commanders, including the group’s leader in Gaza, Mohammed Sinwar.

But they can make no such claim for the use of mass hunger, which is indiscriminate by its very nature. It is legally a war crime and morally unconscionable.
And yet it is the stated policy of this despicable Israeli government.