Gaza, Prime Minister Netanyahu dissolves the war cabinet
The decision came after Gantz's resignation and Smotrich and Ben-Gvir's request to join the body
ROME – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced the decision to dissolve the six-member war cabinet established a few days after the launch of a large-scale offensive against the Gaza Strip. Gaza, in response to an attack suffered last October 7 by fighters linked to Hamas. The decision, as the Israeli media observe, comes a week after the resignation of a cabinet member, Benny Gantz, and coinciding with the request to join the body by two far-right ministers< /strong>, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The entry of one of the two government representatives, as the local media observe, could have worsened tensions with international partners, starting with the United States.
The White House is working together with France on a way to reduce the risk of an outbreak of open hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, and visits between government officials are expected this week . In recent days, in fact, the exchange of fire between the two forces has reached alarming levels, with deaths on both sides. Today’s decision by the Israeli prime minister also comes at a time when Netanyahu is facing strong pressure from public opinion, who are pushing for early elections. The Haaretz newspaper reports that, now that the war cabinet has been dissolved, the military offensive on Gaza will be managed by the security cabinet, however the “most sensitive issues” will be addressed in a “forum of smaller consultation”.
Meanwhile, the attacks by the army in the Gaza Strip continue, claiming they are operating “in a targeted manner” to eliminate the Hamas guerrillas. On the second day of the Muslim holiday of Eid, according to the international media, raids were recorded from north to south: from Beit Hanoon to Bureij, Maghazi and Deir el-Balah, up to Rafah. Here, the artillery is apparently concentrating on central and eastern area, up to the so-called Philadelphia corridor in the south. According to Palestinian journalists, the army is “systematically razing buildings” in these areas, where “neither buildings nor cultivated fields” remain.