Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t care. He doesn’t care that Palestinian civilians are dying. If he did, he’d call the food trucks in and order his bombers out.

He doesn’t care that Israeli hostages are dying. If he did, he’d declare a ceasefire to allow some to be exchanged – the only way that large numbers of hostages have been recovered in this war to date.

Illustration by Dionne GainCredit: Dionne Gain

He doesn’t care that three-quarters of Israelis want an end to the war to allow the remaining hostages to be freed, according to a Channel 12 poll last month.

He doesn’t care that more Israeli soldiers will die, in addition to the 454 killed so far in ground operations under his command since the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre.

If he did, he’d heed the warning of the Israeli army chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, who last week said that the prime minister’s stated intention to occupy Gaza would “place a heavy burden on, and lead to the erosion of, both the reserve and compulsory service soldiers”, according to Channel 12. It would also “significantly endanger the lives of the hostages”, Zamir reportedly said.

Netanyahu doesn’t care that every one of his previous military operations which he’d pledged would “eliminate” Hamas has failed to meet this objective. Or that his stated objective of elimination is unachievable. If he did, he’d declare a realistic aim instead, such as degrading Hamas to the point where it can no longer attack Israel, a mission Israel’s forces already have accomplished.

As 600 of Israel’s former security officials, generals and spy chiefs wrote in an open letter to Trump last week: “It is our professional judgment that Hamas........

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