Collateral Hostages: Examining Israel's Strategy in Gaza and the Erosion of Humanitarian Norms

The Israeli invasion of Gaza has been justified by the stated goal of securing the release of prisoners held by Hamas. This pretext, however, has served to obstruct a ceasefire and prevent an Israeli withdrawal from the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.However, the relentless targeting of civilian infrastructure—hospitals, shelters, and other facilities—supposedly aimed at eliminating Hamas combatants, has yielded no tangible results

Though the intensity of Israeli indiscriminate attacks may have diminished, their precision has increased, a point noted by Hamas senior official Osama Hamdan in a recent address explaining the rationale behind these targeted strikes. Hamdan's exposé highlights Hamas' proposal for a comprehensive ceasefire and prisoner exchange, which Israel refuses, whereupon immediately launching bombardments after learning the location of its captured soldiers.

It seems that Netanyahu aims to neutralize Hamas' negotiating leverage by killing Israeli soldiers. This strategy, against the backdrop of the Israeli regime’s long history of war crimes, portrays a Prime Minister who murders the very settlers he apparently represents, exceeding even the atrocities of his predecessors.