"Ceasefire" Deal As Israel Keeps Bombing Gaza
Netanyahu again blames Hamas for thwarting a deal, while refusing to identify what Hamas allegedly did
Yesterday, Israel and Hamas announced a ceasefire agreement that promised to end Israel’s 16 month siege on Gaza and secure the release of dozens of hostages. No sooner was this deal announced, but the Israeli military viciously bombed civilian tents and a residential building in central Gaza, one in which disabled children were seeking safety, killing at least 77 more Palestinians. Adding to the injustice, and as has happened so many times, the deal seems to already have unraveled as Israel has furthermore delayed a cabinet vote, accusing Hamas of creating a “last-minute crisis.”
Hamas has affirmed its commitment to ceasefire, stating it had upheld all terms outlined by the mediators. Meanwhile, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly accused Hamas of thwarting the deal, he refuses to identify what Hamas allegedly did. This isn’t the first time Netanyahu has obstructed progress on a ceasefire or hostage deal. In fact, the receipts show this is part of a disturbing pattern, and it is a disgrace the Biden administration continues to fall for it while innocent people continue to suffer and die. Let’s Address This.
Before diving into the history, it’s critical we frame this situation accurately.
A ceasefire deal between both sides was announced to stop the fighting.
Israel then bombed civilian tents in central Gaza, killing 77 Palestinians.
Hamas still states that it is committed to the ceasefire deal as presented.
Netanyahu then delays the cabinet vote to affirm the deal on the Israeli side.
Netanyahu then blames Hamas for thwarting the deal—but refuses to identify what Hamas allegedly did.
The Biden administration is still sending $8B more in arms to Netanyahu.
The fighting is at high risk of continuing, with more civilian deaths resulting.
The most depressing part about this cycle described above is that—as the receipts below show—this is what the Israeli media, Israeli generals, and Israeli hostage families all themselves document that Netanyahu has done over the past 16 months.
A History of Sabotaging Peace
According to reports from Haaretz and The Jewish Independent, Netanyahu’s negotiation team has consistently been undermined by the Prime Minister himself. Haaretz, Israel's longest-running newspaper, has confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has actively blocked every potential hostage deal since October 7th, 2023. Haaretz and the Jewish Independent both cite the report by Channel 12 News' Yaron Avraham, that:
Since the hostage release-ceasefire deal in November, Israel's negotiation team has been a futile mission to secure another deal to bring home more hostages, while Netanyahu “did everything in his power to make sure they are not successful”. Netanyahu walked back several promises he made, including an agreement to end the war, and invented new "non-starters" that were previously never mentioned that blocked a deal. He also repeatedly prevented negotiators from travelling to ceasefire talks, or greatly limited their negotiation powers when they are allowed to go.
And this isn’t a new phenomenon. In March 2024, Haaretz reported that Netanyahu’s own generals were frustrated by his repeated efforts to sabotage hostage deals. They openly criticized him for blocking negotiations that could have saved lives.
The Families’ Verdict: “Mr. Death”
Perhaps most damning of all is the condemnation from hostage families themselves. They’ve labeled Netanyahu as “Mr. Death,” accusing him of valuing his political survival over the lives of their loved ones. These families revealed how they learned that a full hostage deal was on the table in October of 2023—but Netanyahu rejected it outright. This betrayal is even more egregious considering Netanyahu’s propaganda campaign. He frequently claims that Hamas is to blame for the ongoing bombings, stating he would stop the airstrikes if Hamas released all hostages. Yet when Hamas accepts terms for a deal, Netanyahu himself blocks it, or continues to bomb Gaza—as he is doing yet again right now.
Rejecting His Own Proposal
One of the clearest examples of Netanyahu’s duplicity is his rejection of UN Security Council Resolution 2735 in May of 2024. This is not only a binding UN resolution, it is based on Israel’s own hostage release proposal. Once Hamas accepted the terms exactly as Israel demanded, Netanyahu abruptly refused to abide by the very deal his government had proposed. And the Biden administration refused to hold him accountable.
This cycle—blaming Hamas while actively sabotaging peace—has become a hallmark of Netanyahu’s leadership, all the while the US Government continues to arm him.
The U.S. Complicity
As President Biden prepares to leave office, he has announced an additional $8 billion in military aid to Netanyahu’s government. This comes despite mounting evidence of Israel’s war crimes, as well as ProPublica reports that the Biden State Department has suppressed the use of terms like “State of Palestine” and avoided pursuing evidence of the Israeli military’s human rights abuses in Gaza and the West Bank. These new devastating revelations from ProPublica expose how U.S. foreign policy has been crafted to shield Netanyahu’s government from accountability, even as international outcry against Israel’s actions grows louder, reporting:
Time and again, Israel crossed the Biden administration’s red lines without changing course in a meaningful way, according to interviews with government officials and outside experts. Each time, the U.S. yielded and continued to send Israel’s military deadly weapons of war, approving more than $17.9 billion in military assistance since late 2023, by some estimates. The State Department recently told Congress about another $8 billion proposed deal to sell Israel munitions and artillery shells.
A Call for Accountability
My most sincere hope and prayer is for a permanent ceasefire deal, followed by accountability for those responsible for this genocide, and self-determination for the Palestinian people and a rebuilding of Palestine. Sadly, Netanyahu’s refusal to secure ceasefires, even those based on his own proposals, is not just a failure of leadership—it’s a calculated strategy. His actions prolong the suffering of civilians in Gaza, deny hostages their freedom, and undermine any hope for peace. Experts note that the most difficult element in proving genocide is the element of intent. What else can it be if not intentional, when the man bombing Palestinian civilians repeatedly blocks every ceasefire deal, including his own, so he can continue bombing civilians?
As Netanyahu’s own generals, media, and hostage families criticize his sabotage, it is clear that Israel’s current leadership prioritizes political gamesmanship over human lives. And as the U.S. continues to fund this injustice, it becomes complicit in the harm. This is why I genuinely do not know if the current ceasefire deal that Biden has announced will stick. As Biden himself stated, this is effectively the same deal proposed in May of 2024—a deal Biden announced at a press conference as a “done deal.” Meanwhile, in reality, that was another deal that the Netanyahu regime had no intention of honoring, as evidenced by its continued indiscriminate bombing of Gaza.
And finally, for as much talk as there’s been that Hamas has been weakened, this week US Secretary of State Blinken admitted that Hamas has recruited “almost as many new militants as it has lost.” Peace does not come through war—but through diplomacy. Ceasefire does not come through arming Netanyahu to indiscriminately bomb Gaza—but through upholding international human rights law. And justice is not achieved through lies and obstruction. It requires accountability—both for Netanyahu’s government and for the U.S. leaders enabling his actions.
He does this EVERY blinkin' time!!
Bibi can't be trusted. He needs to go. I'm afraid that trump will let him do whatever the hell he wants.