Netanyahu may worsen Gaza conflict to delay elections, Israeli military officials suspect

Tel Aviv – Senior Israeli military officials suspect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might be seeking to provoke tensions in Gaza as a tactic to disrupt or delay the upcoming parliamentary elections. Israeli daily Maariv cited assessments from top military officials suggesting Netanyahu does not want the current conflict to end.

Instead, the prime minister is allegedly trying to instigate a new wave of tension in Gaza as the election date approaches. Military leadership reportedly harbors growing concerns that political considerations could sway decisions on future military operations. The military officials emphasized that the army has no intention of being drawn into another conflict without clear security necessity.

These reported concerns surface amid an intensifying debate within Israel regarding Netanyahu's management of various conflict fronts. Opposition figures accuse him of leveraging security issues for political advantage ahead of the elections. Recently, Netanyahu also heightened his rhetoric against Turkey following Israeli military strikes on the Abu al-Duhur military air base in northern Syria.

Israeli opposition figures, including former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Democratic Party leader Yair Golan, have accused Netanyahu of deliberately escalating tensions with Ankara for political reasons. Security officials have also reportedly warned against unnecessary friction with Turkey, expressing concern that public statements from Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz could further inflame the dispute.

The friction between the military and the prime minister occurs as Netanyahu faces a challenging path toward the elections. Recent polls indicate his leading bloc is failing to secure the parliamentary majority needed to form a government. Israel is scheduled to hold its parliamentary elections in October.

“

We will not engage in unnecessary new wars.