Israel-Hamas war|Political situation in Israel

"The Middle East can become entangled in the tentacles of war"  

The fact that Israel has a stated goal of targeting Hamas leaders "everywhere" risks dragging the Middle East into a more complicated conflict than when the war is now concentrated in Gaza, writes Nicole Johnston in an analysis for Sky News. Hamas's top echelon is spread over large parts of the region and travels regularly between Cairo, Istanbul, Ankara, Dubai and Amman. 

 

 But a widened conflict, which would be "a disaster", can still be avoided, writes CNN's Stephen Collinson. He argues that the heavy players in the conflict - Israel, the United States, Iran and Hezbollah - have too much to lose in a larger war, which gives hope for a non-existent escalation. 

 

In the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Zvi Bar'el highlights the deadly attack on Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri. He writes that the operation may be considered a success, but that its impact on the war will be minimal.  

 

But in the longer term, the killing could hasten a reconciliation between Hamas and the Palestinian Fatah party. Such a scenario would, in the even longer term, open the way for a "new Palestinian Authority". 

 

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Big row when politicians and military met in Israel 

 

Israeli politicians and military had a conflict-filled meeting last night, according to media in Israel. Among other things, the quarrel is said to have been about the future of Gaza when the war is over.  

 

Several ministers questioned a statement from the Israeli military, the IDF, linked to the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7. Representatives of the IDF are to participate in an investigation into the attack, but several ministers are critical of the fact that some of them were behind Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2006. Criticism was directed, among other things, at IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and was also about the fact that the military should not investigate their own mistakes.  

 

According to the Times of Israel, it was primarily politicians far to the right who were driving the criticism of the IDF.  

 

Benny Gantz, who is part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet, at one point broke into the discussion and addressed the critical politicians: 

 

“This is a professional investigation, what does it have to do with the withdrawal?” he said according to the Jerusalem Post.  

 

According to Hebrew media cited by the Times of Israel, Netanyahu called off the meeting after three hours.