Netanyahu offering 'forever war', opposition party warns

Benjamin Netanyahu's government is offering Israel a war "with no end date" as long as it is in power, the country's opposition leader has warned.

- ALEXANDER BUTLER

Yair Lapid, leader of opposition party Yesh Atid, said the Israeli prime minister was offering Israel "years of war and destruction" with no end date to the conflict.

It comes as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas – that would also see the release of hostages held in Gaza – remains elusive. The war was triggered when Hamas launched a bloody attack inside Israel on 7 October, killing around 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. In response, Israel has bombarded Gaza from the air and ground. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the offensive, health officials in the strip have said.

Mr Netanyahu leads a coalition government propped up by farright factions who are committed to destroying Hamas and continuing the war. Yesterday, national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for an end to indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas. “A country whose six hostages are murdered in cold blood does not negotiate with the killers, but ends the talks, stops the transfer of fuel and electricity, and crushes them until they collapse,” he wrote on X/Twitter.