Internal Israeli Conflicts and Public Sentiment Amid Gaza War

A report by Amale Chehadeh, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine 

Despite intense disagreements within the war cabinet and between the political and military establishments regarding the conduct of the Gaza conflict, the pro-war stance led by Benjamin Netanyahu continues to dominate Israeli reality.

The Israeli military is intensifying combat in the area surrounding the Egyptian border, executing a plan to destroy tunnels in the Philadelphi Route. The army claims to have discovered twenty tunnels and eighty-two wells, along with advanced Hamas infrastructure extending east of Rafah for one and a half kilometers from the border crossing, a claim denied by the Egyptians.

While the army has announced full control over the Philadelphi Route, efforts are underway to establish new arrangements to reopen the Rafah border crossing. A high-level delegation from the US National Security Council is discussing part of these arrangements in Tel Aviv.


The escalation on the ground coincides with rising internal unrest in Israel. Former Chief of Staff and war cabinet member Gadi Eisenkot launched a campaign against Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of failure and turning slogans like "absolute victory" into mere futile fantasies. Politicians and experts view these statements as a sign of Eisenkot and Benny Gantz potentially withdrawing from the government coalition.


Meanwhile, Israel is witnessing a form of political upheaval, with the Labor Party playing a pivotal role. According to a Wednesday poll, the Labor Party, led by Yair Golan, would secure ten seats if early parliamentary elections were held. In contrast, the National Unity Party, headed by Benny Gantz, would drop to twenty-one seats, while Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party would also rise to twenty-one seats. These numbers indicate a left-center coalition, including the Labor Party and the National Unity Party, outperforming the right-wing bloc led by Netanyahu.


In response to a question about the most suitable candidate for prime minister, Netanyahu, for the first time in a year and a half, surpassed Benny Gantz with 36% of the Israeli vote, compared to Gantz's 30%. Additionally, 30% of respondents believed neither Netanyahu nor Gantz were suitable, while 4% were undecided.

Experts and Israeli politicians suggest that sustained public pressure might drive a shift in the political landscape, potentially leading to early elections. These elections could, according to the poll results, halt the ongoing war, which is increasingly seen as a threat to Israel's national security and even its existence.