NYT report reveals Netanyahu prolonged Gaza war to stay in power

TEL AVIV: In a bombshell investigation, The New York Times has revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deliberately prolonged the Gaza war to protect his political position, even at the cost of missing key opportunities to end the conflict and secure the release of Israeli hostages.

According to the report, in April 2024, Netanyahu shelved a ceasefire deal and potential release of at least 30 Israeli hostages, just because a threat from far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, to bring down the Netanyahu’s fragile ruling coalition.

The report reveals that Netanyahu kept the ceasefire proposal secret until the last moment, hoping to push it through the cabinet before his coalition partners could organize resistance. During an April cabinet meeting, an aide handed Netanyahu a summary of the truce plan to present. But before he could speak, Smotrich burst in and threatened: “If a surrender agreement like this is brought forward, you no longer have a government.”

Startled by the warning, Netanyahu whispered to his advisers, “Don’t present the plan,” and the cabinet moved on to other issues.

The report outlines a pattern in which Netanyahu repeatedly prioritized his political survival over diplomatic progress. For instance, three months later, he reportedly derailed a U.S.-backed Israeli-Saudi normalization deal—contingent on ending the Gaza war—after facing objections from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

In another striking revelation, Netanyahu allegedly informed ultra-Orthodox leader Moshe Gafni of Israel’s plan to strike Iran three days before the June 13 attack. The aim, according to the report, was to dissuade Gafni from pulling his support over the government’s failure to codify military exemptions for yeshiva students.

The Times also noted that prior to Hamas’s October 7 attack, Netanyahu repeatedly ignored warnings from Israeli security officials that internal unrest—especially due to the controversial judicial overhaul—was emboldening Israel’s enemies. His mistrust of military leadership reportedly grew so intense that he had generals physically searched before private meetings to prevent any recordings.

In response, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issued a strong denial, stating: “Prime Minister Netanyahu was never concerned with his political survival, but with carrying out his life’s mission — ensuring the survival and future of the one and only Jewish state.” The statement defended his approach to the war and to hostage negotiations.

However, The New York Times report paints a starkly different picture. It claims the Gaza ceasefire proposal Netanyahu scrapped in April 2024 could have opened the door to a permanent end to the war and a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, which had signaled a willingness to advance peace if hostilities ceased.

But the far-right elements of Netanyahu’s coalition—particularly Smotrich and Ben Gvir—were determined to continue military operations, even pushing for settlement expansion and the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.