By Sue Harris
August 12, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Aug. 8 announced plans for the Israeli government to take over Gaza. This was met with mass anger all over the world, even prompting governments traditionally allied with Israel to denounce the Zionist leader.
Palestine solidarity action, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Aug. 10, 2025. (Photo: Steve Kirschbaum)
Of course, Netanyahu has been saying that the Israel Occupation Forces (IOF) will “take over” Gaza since before October 7, 2023. As Brett Wilkins wrote in Common Dreams on Sept. 22, 2023, “[He] angered Palestinians and their defenders Friday after presenting a map of ‘The New Middle East’ without Palestine during his speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.”
But Israeli leaders have been unsuccessful since they first started making threats to annex Gaza — every time. While the Zionists have military superiority via their air force and equipment and ability to blockade (with the help of willing surrounding governments like Jordan and Egypt), they cannot successfully hold territory in Gaza.
The Israeli army is weaker than ever, having suffered huge losses of soldiers due to casualties and desertions as well as thousands of disabled veterans and refuseniks among the population. There is a growing anti-war movement, even in Israel.
Although the IOF has killed tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of Palestinians, largely via air strikes and drones, they are ill-prepared for a guerrilla war. Palestinian resistance fighters, on the other hand, are experts at guerilla warfare.
“Guerrilla Warfare” is a military handbook written by Marxist–Leninist revolutionary Che Guevara. Published in 1961 following the Cuban Revolution, it became a reference for thousands of guerrilla fighters in various countries around the world — including Palestine.
A leaked document purports to show that Netanyahu refused multiple proposals that would have secured the release of the remaining Israeli captives during the ceasefire between January and March 2025. Netanyahu decided to break the ceasefire, against the advice of top Israeli military and security officials, and to cut off all aid to Gaza to “force Hamas to surrender.” (Truthout, Aug. 9)
Hamas did not surrender.
The decision to go ahead with the “takeover” of Gaza was also made against even the advice of the Israeli army as well as right-wing allies in the Israeli cabinet. Continuing war risks lives of Israeli captives Public opinion polls show an overwhelming majority of Israelis favor an immediate end to the war to secure the release of the remaining 50 hostages held by militants in Gaza. Israeli officials believe about 20 hostages are still alive.(Guardian, Aug. 10)
Tal, a 55-year-old high school teacher, told Reuters at a rally in Tel Aviv that expanding the war was “terrible,” warning it would result in the deaths of soldiers and hostages. They said the war should end with the military withdrawing: “We don’t have anything to do there. It’s not ours.” (Guardian, Aug. 10)
Mahmoud Mardawi, a senior Hamas official, stated: “Negotiations are the only way to reach an agreement. But Netanyahu continues to mislead and evade the requirements of serious negotiations by taking actions that fail the negotiation process time and again.
“It seems that Netanyahu is unable to pass any agreement acceptable to both sides; due to the rejection of the right-wing faction in his government, he continues with a policy of deception and hiding behind a false arm. For the first time, Netanyahu alone will bear full responsibility for the failure of negotiations and the consequences of his policies and actions.” (Resistance News Network, Aug. 9)
International mass protest in support of Gaza and against Israeli genocide has increased and continues to build. European governments, including England, France and Germany, are now forced to lie and say they agree with the mass protests against genocide, even as they continue to supply arms and intelligence to the Zionist state.
International views of Israel and Netanyahu are much more negative than positive, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 24 countries conducted this spring. A Gallup poll shows only 32% of people in the U.S. back Israel’s military action in Gaza, a new low.
Netanyahu’s desperation
The timing of Netanyahu’s announcement appears more like desperation than logic. He has withdrawn Israeli troops from Gaza — although the IOF continues to surveil by plane, aided by British Intelligence. An invasion would likely kill the remaining living Israeli captives. Is Netanyahu planning to continue the war against Gaza until Israel’s next presidential election in early 2026 in the hope that he can be reelected? Is he hoping to maintain his presidential immunity that way?
Hamas says that it is “ready for a comprehensive deal to release all occupation prisoners in exchange for [Israel] stopping the war and withdrawing its forces. We warn the occupation that occupying Gaza City is an adventure that will cost it a heavy price and will not be a picnic,” and “Netanyahu’s plans and illusions will fail.” (Israel-Palestine News, Aug. 9)
Hamas further explained in a statement posted to Resistance News Network: “Our goal is first to stop the war, then to arrange the Palestinian situation based on an internal national consensus. Governance is an internal Palestinian matter, and we will not accept dictates from any outside party.” (Aug. 9)
A statement from Husam Badran, head of the Hamas National Relations Office, offered additional clarification: “Our last response to the mediators was viewed as positive and constructive by Qatar, Egypt and even the occupation’s own delegation in Doha. It was the American envoy’s response, which contradicted the positive atmosphere, that was surprising to all parties and derailed a potential agreement. The ‘israeli’ cabinet’s decision to occupy Gaza is not strange. This occupation does not need a pretext to continue its genocidal war and crimes against our people.” (Ultra Palestine, Aug. 9)
