Haaretz: What Israel Is Doing in Gaza Is a Collective War Crime
In a rare editorial, the Israeli daily condemns the government’s policies in Gaza as crimes against humanity, accusing Netanyahu and Smotrich of openly pursuing mass destruction, occupation, and forced displacement.
Watan-The Israeli newspaper Haaretz acknowledged on Tuesday that what the Israeli army is committing in the Gaza Strip constitutes a “collective war crime.”
In its editorial, the paper stated:”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are not trying to hide the crimes they are committing, or those they are planning to commit in the near future: the destruction of Gaza, its occupation, and the orchestration of mass displacement.”
“For both of them, the humanitarian catastrophe is merely a public diplomacy issue,” the editorial added.
On Monday, Netanyahu reaffirmed his intent to continue the extermination and occupation of Gaza, saying in a video message posted on Telegram:“We will take control of all the territory of the Gaza Strip. That’s what we will do.”
Haaretz: Gaza Images Are a Moral Stain—Israel Must End War and Allow Aid Immediately
Haaretz continued:“What Israel is doing in Gaza is not a matter of public diplomacy, but a collective war crime. The images coming from Gaza are an indelible stain on Israel’s moral conscience.”
The newspaper called on the government to stop prolonging the catastrophe and instead:”Allow the immediate entry of large-scale humanitarian aid to halt the mass famine among Palestinians, and end the war through a ceasefire agreement that guarantees the return of all hostages”—referring to Israeli captives in Gaza.
Israel continues a policy of systematic starvation against nearly 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza, by sealing crossings and blocking aid that has been piled at the borders since March 2. This blockade has pushed the Strip into a stage of famine, claiming many lives.
In recent days, the Israeli army has expanded its genocidal operations across the Gaza Strip, announcing a “ground operation in both the north and south” of the territory.
These developments come amid indirect negotiations in Qatar between the Palestinian resistance group Hamas and Israel, in another attempt to reach a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal.
Hamas Offers Hostage Deal as Netanyahu Stalls Ceasefire Amid Ongoing Gaza Genocide
Hamas has repeatedly declared its readiness to release all Israeli hostages in one batch in exchange for an end to the genocide, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
However, Netanyahu—who is wanted for international prosecution—has been stalling the process by introducing new conditions, most recently demanding the disarmament of Palestinian factions in Gaza. Hamas has categorically rejected this condition as long as the Israeli occupation continues.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a full-scale genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza—including indiscriminate killing, destruction, starvation, and forced displacement—ignoring all international appeals and binding orders from the International Court of Justice to stop the assault.
This genocide, backed by the United States, has left over 174,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them women and children, in addition to more than 11,000 missing and hundreds of thousands forcibly displaced.
