DayofPal– During a high-level cabinet meeting at the onset of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu erupted in fury. Then-Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi had just briefed ministers on the first 48 hours of airstrikes, reporting that Israeli warplanes had hit 1,500 targets.
Netanyahu, visibly enraged, slammed the table and demanded, “Why not 5,000?”
Halevi, adhering to military protocol, responded, “We don’t have that many approved targets.”
Netanyahu, dismissing the operational constraints, issued a chilling directive. “I don’t care about targets. Destroy houses. Bomb with everything you have,” he ordered.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has waged a relentless assault on Gaza, amounting to what human rights organizations and international legal experts have characterized as genocide. The Israeli military has carried out mass arrests, extrajudicial executions, and systematic torture of Palestinian detainees.
With an arsenal of heavy American bombs, Israel has leveled entire neighborhoods, reducing homes, schools, and hospitals to rubble.
Israeli media and officials have consistently framed all Palestinian casualties as “terrorists,” while openly advocating for further war crimes.
Between Tuesday and Thursday alone, Israeli airstrikes claimed the lives of 591 Palestinians and left 1,042 wounded—predominantly women and children.
A temporary ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal commenced on January 19, 2025, with the first phase concluding on March 1. However, Netanyahu refused to proceed with the second phase.
Hamas remains adamant that Israel must honor the full agreement, which stipulates a complete cessation of attacks and full withdrawal from Gaza.
Netanyahu, who faces charges before the International Criminal Court, appears intent on extracting additional Israeli captives while reneging on commitments.
The war has inflicted staggering devastation, with over 162,000 Palestinian casualties, most of them women and children. More than 14,000 remain unaccounted for, buried beneath the ruins of Gaza.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=61537
