Little Angels
CrossFireArabia- August 18, 2025
This portrait was made by Firas Sarhan, a Palestinian painter.
From an Extremist to Another: ‘Faith is Lost’
- CrossFireArabia
- August 10, 2025
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Saturday he has lost confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war position on the Gaza Strip.
The far-right minister was referring to his objection to the “gradual plan” to fully occupy the enclave, as he favors an immediate and sweeping military operation coupled with Israeli settlement in Gaza according to Anadolu.
Smotrich, who advocates for the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza alongside its settlement, said in a video on X: “In the last cabinet meeting (early Friday), I lost faith that the Prime Minister can and wants to lead the Israeli army to decisive victory.”
The Security Cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “gradual plan” to fully occupy Gaza and displace Palestinians from the north to the south, a move that has faced opposition from Israeli security leaders due to the danger it poses to the lives of captives that Hamas is holding as leverage, and Israeli soldiers.
Downplaying the plan, Smotrich added: “Netanyahu and the cabinet decided to carry out a military operation whose goal is not victory, but to pressure Hamas for a partial prisoner deal.”
The far-right minister urged Netanyahu to “convene the cabinet again and announce unequivocally that there will be no stopping halfway, no partial deal — this time we go for a decisive, clear step toward victory.”
Smotrich has consistently opposed calls to limit Israeli action in Gaza to airstrikes, insisting on continuing the war until Palestinians are displaced for the purpose of settlement.
Israel has faced mounting outrage for its deadly war on Gaza, where more than 61,300 victims have been killed since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
Huckabee: False Claims
- CrossFireArabia
- August 4, 2025
US Ambassador to the Israeli occupation Mike Huckabee claimed that the real starvation crisis in Gaza affects only Israeli prisoners, not the Palestinians.
He also promoted a graphic denying any Israeli policy of starvation, claiming that Israel has allowed up to 700 aid trucks per day, depending on supply from the UN and NGOs, a claim that is not supported by any evidence.
In contrast, Gaza’s Government Media Office reported that only 36 aid trucks out of 22,000 entered the Strip on Saturday. UNRWA says at least 500 to 600 trucks are needed daily to meet minimum humanitarian needs, a target that has never been reached.
UN experts and rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly stressed that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war.
Israel Seeks to ‘Expand’ War on Gaza
- CrossFireArabia
- August 4, 2025
Israel’s security cabinet is expected to decide this week whether to expand the nearly 22-month war in the Gaza Strip and on the future of ceasefire negotiations, Israeli media reported.
Channel 12 television said the security cabinet will discuss the option of intensifying attacks on Gaza, even at the risk of endangering the lives of Israeli hostages in the enclave.
The plan has divided Israel’s leadership.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs reportedly support expanding the offensive.
Advocates for pursuing a ceasefire and prisoner exchange include Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Shas Party leader Aryeh Deri — who recently withdrew from the government — National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Mossad Director David Barnea, Nitzan Alon, who is overseeing the hostage file for the military, and members of the Shin Bet negotiating team.
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz are undecided on whether to intensify attacks or continue negotiations, according to the report.
Channel 13 also said that Zamir expressed to his close circle concerns that expanding the attacks could endanger the lives of the hostages and that he would not approve such moves without clear political orders.
Separately, the Haaretz daily reported that preparations are underway for expanding Israeli military operations in Gaza, which is already facing a humanitarian disaster due to the ongoing assault.
The report said that Zamir is expected to approve a “phased attack plan.” Under the new plan, “sensitive areas” — including refugee camps sheltering Palestinians who have been displaced multiple times — would be targeted in ground offensives.
The army has so far avoided such ground attacks in these areas due to the Israeli hostages, the report said, but the new plan is expected to be presented to the government.
A senior Israeli official told Haaretz that “there is a growing understanding that Hamas is not interested in a deal.”
“Therefore, the prime minister is pushing for the release of hostages as part of a military resolution, combined with the delivery of humanitarian aid to areas outside combat zones and, as much as possible, to regions not under Hamas control.”
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, according to Anadolu.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
