Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a major escalation of airstrikes on Gaza, marking the most serious challenge to the current ceasefire agreement in months. Over 100 people were killed and many more injured in Tuesday's bombing raids, which targeted Gaza City and several other areas.
The attack came just four days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited a new US military base in Israel as part of an effort to demonstrate President Donald Trump's commitment to maintaining the ceasefire. Netanyahu has been pushing for increased US support for his administration, including billions of dollars in military aid and greater involvement in Israeli operations against Hamas.
Despite assurances from Vice President JD Vance that the ceasefire is holding, many observers are skeptical about Washington's ability to enforce a negotiated peace. Yousef Munayyer, head of the Palestine/Israel Program at Arab Center Washington DC, argued that "the international community is going to buy that" – a narrative that Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement.
Netanyahu and his allies have long sought to downplay Hamas's role in the conflict and shift attention to Palestinian attacks on Israeli soldiers. However, with US backing for his efforts looking increasingly uncertain, Netanyahu may be seeking to assert his own authority by cracking down on Palestinian militants.
The Israeli government has a history of using ceasefire agreements as a pretext for resuming attacks on Gaza, following patterns set during previous ceasefires in November 2023 and this January. The European Union, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Australia have all threatened to impose sanctions or recognize Palestine if Israel fails to comply with its commitments.
As tensions escalate, the international community is divided over how to respond. Human rights groups such as Ramy Abdu of Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor are calling for a more nuanced approach that prioritizes accountability for ceasefire violations and an end to the blockade on Gaza.
The attack came just four days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited a new US military base in Israel as part of an effort to demonstrate President Donald Trump's commitment to maintaining the ceasefire. Netanyahu has been pushing for increased US support for his administration, including billions of dollars in military aid and greater involvement in Israeli operations against Hamas.
Despite assurances from Vice President JD Vance that the ceasefire is holding, many observers are skeptical about Washington's ability to enforce a negotiated peace. Yousef Munayyer, head of the Palestine/Israel Program at Arab Center Washington DC, argued that "the international community is going to buy that" – a narrative that Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement.
Netanyahu and his allies have long sought to downplay Hamas's role in the conflict and shift attention to Palestinian attacks on Israeli soldiers. However, with US backing for his efforts looking increasingly uncertain, Netanyahu may be seeking to assert his own authority by cracking down on Palestinian militants.
The Israeli government has a history of using ceasefire agreements as a pretext for resuming attacks on Gaza, following patterns set during previous ceasefires in November 2023 and this January. The European Union, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Australia have all threatened to impose sanctions or recognize Palestine if Israel fails to comply with its commitments.
As tensions escalate, the international community is divided over how to respond. Human rights groups such as Ramy Abdu of Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor are calling for a more nuanced approach that prioritizes accountability for ceasefire violations and an end to the blockade on Gaza.
Oh man, this just got super serious! Netanyahu's move is like, totally escalating things and it's not looking good for anyone. I'm all about holding both sides accountable here. Israel's always trying to shift the blame, saying Hamas does more bad stuff, but honestly, we should be seeing some real accountability from them too 
! I mean, can't Netanyahu just chill for once? The fact that he's pushing for billions of dollars in military aid from the US is just ridiculous 
. And don't even get me started on how the EU and other countries are threatening sanctions - what's the point of that when no one's taking action? 
. We need some real leaders who can work towards a peaceful solution - not just Netanyahu and his allies playing politics with people's lives 
.
. I mean, who needs some weak ceasefire agreement when you can just bomb the place back into the Stone Age? And yeah, let's be real, those 'human rights groups' are just a bunch of Hamas sympathizers trying to stir up trouble. The EU and UK should just chill out and stop lecturing Israel on how to handle its own security issues 
.
not to mention those US billions Netanyahu's been asking for - it's just gonna fuel more extremism in the region. 
. I think Netanyahu is trying to get ahead of things by pushing for more US military aid and involvement, but at what cost? We've seen this pattern before where Israel uses ceasefire agreements as an excuse to resume attacks on Gaza.
, but it feels like he's just trying to shift the blame and create chaos. The EU and other countries are already getting involved with their sanctions threat 
, which could lead to even more suffering for innocent people in Gaza 
.
. We need to see real action taken to hold Israel accountable for ceasefire violations 
. This situation is far too complex for just anyone to pin on one side 
.
What's goin' on here?
this is just heartbreaking what's happening in Gaza, over 100 people killed and many more injured... it feels like we're going backwards with all these escalations