Le Point: Netanyahu’s Gaza Strategy Traps Israel in a Deepening Quagmire
French Weekly Warns Netanyahu’s May 5 Plan Risks New Disasters—Escalating Civilian Suffering, Undermining Hostage Rescue, and Deepening Global Isolation.
Watan-Under the headline “Israel in the Gaza Trap,” the French magazine Le Point stated that more than a year and a half has passed since the October 7 attack, and yet Israel has resolved none of its core dilemmas. On the contrary, the plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet on May 5 to reassert control over the Gaza Strip portends new disasters.
The strategy not only threatens to worsen the already dire conditions for Palestinian civilians, but also endangers the lives of hostages—at least 20 of the 59 believed to be held by Hamas are thought to still be alive. Additionally, the plan may deepen societal divisions in Israel and further isolate it on the international stage.
According to Le Point, ongoing military operations serve only two parties: Hamas, and the extremist wing of Israel’s ruling coalition. During the two-month ceasefire earlier this year, Hamas experienced a significant erosion of its control—even among Palestinians themselves. But the resumption of hostilities, coupled with the slow and staggered hostage releases, is once again bolstering its authority.
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As for Netanyahu, who continues to dodge responsibility for the security failure of October 7, appeasing his hardline allies allows him to avoid early elections and delay the outcomes of his ongoing corruption trials, Le Point notes.
The magazine argues that reoccupying Gaza would drag Israel back into the quagmire of governing an area with over 2.1 million residents, most of whom oppose Israeli rule. That’s precisely why former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon withdrew from Gaza in 2005 and dismantled settlements there. Returning now would be, according to Le Point, “a catastrophe by all measures.” Polls show over 60% of Israelis oppose reoccupying Gaza.
Netanyahu’s plan envisions confining Gaza’s population to a so-called “humanitarian zone” in the south and encouraging voluntary departure. Food aid, suspended since March 2, would resume only under conditions, and be distributed under military guard. Meanwhile, the Israeli army—having recalled tens of thousands of reservists, many of whom are now refusing deployment—would continue targeting remaining Hamas strongholds.
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Netanyahu insists that Hamas’ military capacity is nearing its end. But isn’t that the same promise he has made for 18 months? Le Point asks. Unlike his predecessors, Netanyahu has tried to convince Israelis that prosperity is possible without peace—ignoring the fact that occupation and settlement only inflame conflict and drive the country into greater instability.
While boasting of unconditional support from Donald Trump, Netanyahu has crossed all red lines. But reality suggests that even Trump is stepping back. In recent weeks, the U.S. administration has opened direct channels of communication with Hamas (which in turn agreed to release the last living American-Israeli hostage), negotiated with Iran, and reached a truce with the Houthis that excludes Israel. It has even temporarily dropped its push for Saudi recognition of Israel, according to Le Point.
The French magazine concludes that the absence of diplomatic cover, a political solution, or a credible plan to free the hostages is pushing Netanyahu’s government deeper into Gaza’s trap with every passing day. And that’s exactly what the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar intended. Though the mastermind of the October 7 attack was killed by the Israeli military last year, the trap he set is still gradually closing in on Israel.
