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Netanyahu prolonged Gaza genocide to stay in power: NYT report

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 12 July 2025 6:42 AM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has prolonged the Gaza genocide to stay in power and avoid potential criminal prosecution, an investigation by The New York Times reveals.

In a report published on Friday, The New York Times concluded that after Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the Zionist entity in response to the regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting against Palestinians in October 2023, many believed it would mark the end of Netanyahu's political career.

The widespread assumption, according to the report, was that the war would wind down by early 2024, his coalition government would fall apart, and he would finally face consequences for the catastrophic security failure.

Instead, Netanyahu harnessed the war to improve his political fortunes, at first simply to survive and then to triumph on his own terms.

In April 2024, Netanyahu was reportedly on the verge of approving a six-week ceasefire deal that could have secured the release of over 30 captives held by Hamas. This agreement also would have opened the door to discussions about a lasting peace agreement with Hamas.

However, Netanyahu suddenly shifted his stance after finance minister Bezalel Smotrich—a far-right hardliner advocating for the establishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza and the occupation of Gaza—threatened to withdraw from the coalition government if a ceasefire deal was approved.

Such a move would collapse the coalition and force new elections, which polls at the time suggested Netanyahu would lose.

"I want you to know that if a surrender agreement like this is brought forward, you no longer have a government," Smotrich said. "The government is finished."

According to the Times, Netanyahu tossed the ceasefire proposal away and kept the war grinding on until this very day.

The report outlines how US officials tried to convince Netanyahu that agreeing to a captive-release ceasefire would boost his political standing, citing polls indicating over 50% among Israeli voters.

Netanyahu reportedly dismissed the argument, telling advisers, "Not 50% of my voters," implying his voters opposed the deal.

Despite the ongoing corruption charges against him and nearly two years having passed since the war, Netanyahu remains well-positioned to stay in power until the next general election, which must be held by October 2026.

The Israeli regime's bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed 57,762 Palestinians and injured 137,656 others, according to the health ministry.

The people of Gaza also endure severe food shortages, with many forced to risk being fired upon by Israeli forces simply while waiting in line for humanitarian aid.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his former minister of military affairs, Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes related to Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Yet amid all the turmoil, Times reports, one undeniable advantage remains for the Israeli leader: his political survival.