Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, continues to frame the Gaza war as a moral battle of good versus evil. Since Hamas’ October 2023 attack, he has vowed to fight “on land, sea, and air” until victory is secured. His speeches echo Churchill’s wartime rhetoric, portraying Israel’s cause as just and uncompromising.
Yet, nearly two years later, Israel is far from united. The Netanyahu Gaza war has exposed deep rifts across society. Protests against his leadership grow alongside silent vigils for Palestinian children killed in Gaza. While some Israelis, like activist Timina Peretz, decry the humanitarian toll, polls reveal that most Jewish Israelis remain unmoved by Palestinian suffering, convinced that Israel is acting with restraint.
Netanyahu rejects claims of famine in Gaza, insisting that “the only ones being starved are our hostages.” His stance resonates with the right, where criticism of Israel is often equated with antisemitism. For many Israelis, the trauma of 7 October — when Hamas breached the border, killed hundreds, and kidnapped dozens — remains the defining lens for the war. Hostage families press for a deal, but ultranationalists in Netanyahu’s coalition demand total victory, Gaza’s annexation, and the removal of Palestinians.
On the religious right, the conflict is viewed by some as a divine opportunity. Leaders like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir see the war as a step toward reshaping Israel according to biblical prophecy, blocking any Palestinian state. Their influence keeps Netanyahu from compromise, even as military leaders warn that further offensives could endanger hostages.
In Tel Aviv, secular Israelis call for Netanyahu’s resignation, accusing him of prolonging the war for political survival and undermining recovery. Former Knesset speaker Avrum Burg describes the country as “fragmented, broken, torn apart,” caught between “religious excitement and psychological despair.”
Netanyahu’s challenge lies in balancing the demands of his hardline allies, the anguish of hostage families, the warnings of his generals, and growing international criticism. As the Netanyahu Gaza war grinds on, Israel’s divisions deepen, its political future uncertain, and its society pulled between visions of divine destiny and urgent calls for peace.
