March 19, 2025 - 1:00pm
Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza early Tuesday morning local time, breaking a two-month ceasefire and killing at least 400 Palestinians.
The resumption of Israel’s assault on Gaza is, sadly, not entirely surprising. Ceasefire talks had stalled over implementation of the next phase of the plan brokered by US envoy Steve Witkoff, which would have required Hamas to release the remaining hostages held in Gaza in exchange for withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip.
Benjamin Netanyahu, along with the hardliners in his cabinet, seems determined to continue the conflict, with the apparent intention to oversee a mass transfer of two million Palestinian inhabitants out of Gaza. Netanyahu’s political survival and personal liberty are also likely at stake, as ending the conflict and defying the most extreme members of his coalition would likely end his term in office, making him vulnerable to charges of corruption.
US hostage envoy Adam Boehler, who tried to circumvent the stalled talks by negotiating directly with Hamas to release the hostages, appeared to have been sidelined last week after stating that the United States was “not an agent of Israel”. The Trump administration’s policy has been erratic, to say the least, with officials such as Witkoff and Boehler pursuing commendable diplomatic initiatives, while the President has stated his desire for the United States to “take over” Gaza and to “clean it out”.
This news also comes at a dangerous moment. In addition to its assault on Gaza and creeping annexation of the West Bank, Israel has occupied much of southern Syria for what it declares to be an “unlimited amount of time”. At the same time, Trump has stepped up US strikes on rebels in Yemen, while threatening Iran with “dire” consequences for backing the Houthis.
If it so wished, the US could apply significant pressure on Israel to stop the bombing and move forward with peace talks and the release of Israeli — and American — hostages. According to the Costs of War Project at Brown University, Washington has provided at least $17.9 billion in security assistance to Israel since the attacks of 7 October, 2023. As an example of America’s leverage, over the past month Trump used a pause on military aid to Ukraine to force Kyiv into ceasefire talks, and has threatened Moscow with further sanctions if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to come to the negotiating table.
Trump remains disinclined to do the same with respect to Israel, however. On the contrary, Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently invoked emergency authorisation to send $4 billion more in military assistance to Israel, while the President has lifted the Biden administration’s pause on shipment of 2,000-pound bombs in light of Gaza’s staggering civilian casualties.
It seems bizarre that the Trump administration has enabled the sabotage of its own peace plan. The results will be disastrous for the Palestinians, as well as the remaining Israeli and American hostages, and will continue to risk drawing the United States into a war it should have no interest in fighting.
Instead, Washington should continue negotiating directly with Hamas to get its hostages released and stop its unnecessary and ineffective campaign against the Houthis. This would prevent a showdown with Iran and put a stop to the ongoing violence in Gaza. The United States’ interests in the Middle East are trivial, but the problems are legion.
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