Israel tightens siege on Gaza as more voices warn of "failure" of strategy
The Israeli campaign that has caused a mass exodus and more than 65,000 deaths has failed to free the hostages or defeat Hamas.
BarcelonaA boy of just over seven years old walks with his younger brother on his shoulders. Another carries his cat on his shoulder, while his siblings walk beside him carrying backpacks of various sizes. A third, the same age, pushes a stroller with two other children inside. And next to it, a wheelchair she uses as a handcart piled with bags full of clothes. These are some of the videos and images circulating on social media about the mass exodus from Gaza City.
Since Israeli troops began their ground offensive on the Strip's capital on Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of people have left the city on foot or crammed into cars and trucks: 450,000 according to the army, and 250,000 according to the UN. The rest of the million displaced people who lived there, 740,000 people according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, have stayed there. Some because they have no money to flee after the price of transport has skyrocketed; Others, because they consider that the south, despite being a humanitarian zone designated by the Israeli army, is also unsafe because bombs continue to fall.
Those who remain, in addition to trying to survive the constant Israeli bombardments, must witness the advance of Benjamin Netanyahu's ground troops, who on Tuesday claimed to now control 40% of the capital. The rain of projectiles and the campaign of destruction have intensified in recent days, particularly targeting tall residential buildings. The result can be seen in satellite images: entire districts have been razed.
The troops are advancing in the northwest and southeast, leaving many of the population trapped in the middle, forcing them to flee to the coast. Tanks, infantry, and artillery are advancing toward the heart of Gaza City's urban center with support from the air force, an army spokesman said Thursday. After controlling the neighborhoods of Zeitoun, Sheikh Radwan, Al Saftawi and Karameh, the last Israeli objective was Tal al Hawa, in the southwest of the capital, which this morning suffered a campaign of so-called "carpet bombing": massive and indiscriminate bombings aimed at destroying the perimeter buildings.
To speed up the escape and allow Israeli troops to occupy the city more quickly –with the stated objective of building shortly– Israel said on Wednesday that it was opening a new corridor on the Saladi Road to expedite population movement. However, this Friday it announced it was closing it again, without giving any reason. "Residents of Gaza City. From now on, access to the south via the Saladi Road is closed," the army spokesperson stated in a statement. He added that the Rashid Highway (which crosses the Strip from north to south along the coast and has seen very heavy traffic jams in recent days) is once again the only operational highway. The spokesperson did not hold back on threats to the population who remain: "The Israel Defense Forces will continue to operate with unprecedented force," he warned.
An offensive that endangers the hostages
In an Israeli television interview, French President Emmanuel Macron called Israel's offensive in Gaza a "failure" on Thursday night. It is a widely shared opinion in Israel, including within the armed forces. The army's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, has repeatedly stated that he opposes the campaign ordered by Netanyahu, believing it endangers the hostages, and it is no coincidence that his troops are advancing cautiously to avoid collateral damage from their own side.
What was supposed to be a lightning conquest has turned into a martyrdom for the Israeli military itself that has lasted almost two years. One of the most recurrent criticisms of Netanyahu's strategy is that, despite the massive campaign of death and destruction he has launched, he has not been able to free the 48 hostages being held in Gaza. According to Israeli analyst Amos Harel in HaaretzThis is partly due to the incompatibility of the two declared objectives: defeating Hamas and recovering the hostages. "The former takes time and has not yet been achieved; but time is working against the hostages, who see their situation worsening," he says.
In fact, beyond some isolated rescues—the last successful one was in Rafah in August 2024—the majority of hostages have only been returned through negotiations. This is why the Israeli military establishment fears that some will end up dying as a result of the bombings or being executed, the analyst points out. The one who has capitalized on this position is the chief of staff, who tries to curb the riskiest military operations. But this plays against Netanyahu, who needs a quick and visible victory to strengthen his political base.
However, for now, Netanyahu can afford to ignore the warnings from home. because it maintains the unconditional support of the US administration of Donald Trump. Washington not only supplies the United States with much of the arsenal that has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians in less than two years, but also gives it carte blanche to continue ignoring the international community's repeated warnings and evading responsibility before the International Criminal Court, which accuses it of genocide and war crimes.
The latest demonstration of the impunity guaranteed by Trump in Tel Aviv was yesterday. For the sixth time, the United States vetoed a resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza at the UN Security Council. The resolution, which was approved by 14 of the 15 council members, called for an "immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the release of all hostages held by Hamas.
