War in Gaza | Next stage of escalation

Israel's Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir explained his war aim in a TV interview on Sunday: the creation of a Greater Israel with as few Palestinian citizens as possible. "We must declare sovereignty over the entire Gaza Strip today, occupy it, and encourage the Palestinian population to leave voluntarily." Last week, the parliament in Jerusalem had already voted in favor of annexing the occupied West Bank in a non-binding vote.

Ben Gvir, the police officer in charge, had chosen Jerusalem's Temple Mount as the location for the interview, and the time was Tisha Baba, the Jewish fasting and mourning day. The area surrounding the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is heavily guarded by Israeli security forces but under Muslim administration, has repeatedly been the site of bloody riots in recent decades. Jews are allowed to stay at what is arguably the most controversial site in the Middle East at certain times, but are not allowed to pray there. Yet Ben Gvir demonstratively prayed alongside Jewish settlers in the garden next to the mosque.

His supporters are demanding the reconstruction of a second Jewish Temple and the destruction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which has become a symbol of resistance against the occupation of Palestine throughout the Arab world. "With his provocation, Ben Gvir is sending a clear message," says Ori Goldberg, a longtime analyst of the Israeli political scene. "The genocide in Gaza through starvation and daily bombardments is now being complemented by the destruction of everything that makes a two-state solution possible."

While Israelis continue to take to the streets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem daily, along with the families of the approximately 50 hostages still held in Gaza, to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policies, the escalation in the West Bank continues. Villages near Hebron, Bethlehem, and Nablus are constantly being attacked by settlers. Israeli human rights organizations are documenting the eviction of Palestinian landowners from their fields.

At a meeting of the settler movement in Jerusalem, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the occupied territories as an inseparable part of Israel. "We have never been closer to repopulating Gaza than we are now," Smotrich said. In parliament, he presented a "Master Plan for the Settlement of the Gaza Strip," which envisions the construction of 850,000 housing units, "smart cities," and a subway network. Michael Sfard, one of the most prominent human rights lawyers, warns: "The plan now pending implementation constitutes ethnic cleansing under international law."

After Hamas and Islamic Jihad aired footage of Evyatar David over the weekend, Netanyahu's critics are also perplexed. The Israeli, kidnapped on October 7, 2023, from the grounds of the Nova music festival, is seen in a dusty tunnel illuminated by flashlights. Severely emaciated, the 24-year-old is digging a hole with another hostage. The clip ends with a message from the kidnappers: "Only a ceasefire will bring them back." Evyatar David's family is demanding that the Israeli government allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip again without hindrance. This is the only way he and Rom Braslavski, who is being held with him, can survive their captivity.

Hamas intensified its own demand for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the war in a statement also published over the weekend. It will only lay down its weapons if a Palestinian state is established , the statement states. Negotiations for a 60-day ceasefire ended unsuccessfully last week. Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, and the armed settlers have called on their supporters to take advantage of the diplomatic vacuum. Newspaper advertisements are already seeking excavator drivers and construction workers for deployment in Gaza.