Category: Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli military officials suspect Netanyahu may seek escalation to delay elections: Israeli media
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on December 9, 2024. [Photo by MAYA ALLERUZZO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images] Senior Israeli military officials suspect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may seek to escalate the situation in the Gaza Strip in an attempt to disrupt or delay the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections, Israeli media reported.
Israeli daily Maariv cited assessments within the upper ranks of the Israeli army that Netanyahu does not want the current conflicts to come to an end and could seek renewed escalation in Gaza as the election approaches.
According to the report, senior military officials are increasingly concerned that political considerations could influence decisions on further military action.
Officers have made clear that the army does not intend to be drawn into another conflict without a clear security necessity, saying: “We will not enter a new and unnecessary war.”
The reported concerns come amid growing debate in Israel over Netanyahu’s handling of the country’s multiple fronts and accusations from opposition figures that he is using security issues for political purposes ahead of the election.
READ: Israeli premier turns to anti-Turkiye campaign as polls show Likud losing ground
Netanyahu has recently stepped up his rhetoric against Turkiye following an Israeli attack on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in northern Syria.
Israeli opposition figures, including former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Democrats party leader Yair Golan, have accused Netanyahu of deliberately escalating tensions with Ankara for political considerations.
Israeli security officials have also reportedly warned against an “unnecessary” escalation with Turkiye, expressing concern that public statements by Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz could further inflame tensions.
The reported disagreement with the military comes as Netanyahu faces a difficult electoral landscape, with recent opinion polls showing his governing bloc falling short of the parliamentary majority needed to form a government.
Israel is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in October.
READ: Growing international pressure puts Israel under diplomatic strain: Israeli media
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Jared Kushner, adviser and son-in-law to U.S. President Donald Trump in Jerusalem on August 17, 2026. [Shalev Shalom (GPO)/Handout – Anadolu Agency] US special envoy Jared Kushner said “very significant progress could happen very soon” in the Gaza Strip if Israel and Hamas cooperate, warning that the United States would support further Israeli military operations in the territory if Hamas does not disarm.
In an interview with Fox News after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Kushner said: “if Hamas actually gives over the weapons and the tunnels willingly over the next 60 to 90 days, that obviously would be the elimination of a huge security threat for Israel, almost an unthinkable achievement.”
He added: “If they don’t follow through now on their commitment, everyone will see that they’re not genuine about peace, and then Israel will have a lot more support from the US and others to go and finish the job in the appropriate way.”
Regarding his meeting with Hamas leaders on Sunday, Kushner said the United States would give the group a chance to prove its seriousness, but this “must be based on actions and steps, and I hope it will be true.”
READ: Report: Hamas leaders meet Kushner in Egypt for talks on Gaza roadmap
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) shakes hands with US President Donald Trump’s senior White House adviser and his son-in-law Jared Kushner (L) prior to their meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Western Jerusalem on 31 July 2019. [Kobi Gideon / GPO / Handout – Anadolu Agency] US President Donald Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner began a planned meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Monday to discuss the Gaza ceasefire, Israeli media reported.
Kushner was joined by the Board of Peace’s lead envoy for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, and board member and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair during the meeting, The Times of Israel said, citing an unnamed source.
The source said Monday’s talks focus on “moving forward on all the elements (US President Donald Trump’s 15-point plan)” rather than seeking Tel Aviv’s “signature” on the plan.
READ: Kushner accuses Netanyahu of obstructing US Gaza plan
The discussions come after Kushner, accompanied by Mladenov and Blair, visited the Egyptian capital Cairo on Sunday and met with Hamas officials to hold similar discussions.
In October 2023, the Israeli army launched a deadly offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed over 73,000 and wounded more than 174,000 others.
Despite a ceasefire that has remained in place since October 2025 as part of the first phase of Trump’s Gaza plan, the army has continued its attacks in the Palestinian enclave, killing at least 1,260 and injuring over 4,100 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The second phase of Trump’s plan envisages the transfer of administration in Gaza to a Palestinian technocratic committee, deploying an international stabilization force and placing weapons under the responsibility of the National Committee for Gaza Administration under international supervision, alongside a phased Israeli withdrawal and reconstruction efforts.
READ: Report: Hamas leaders meet Kushner in Egypt for talks on Gaza roadmap
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