Israel's president says he's 'deeply troubled' by return to the war in Gaza

Israel Goes Back to War in Gaza

This week on Hold Your Fire!, Richard Atwood speaks to Crisis Group experts Max Rodenbeck, Mairav Zonszein, Amjad Iraqi and Michael Wahid Hanna about Israel’s return to war in Gaza, the implications for the strip’s inhabitants, the U.S. air raids on the Houthis in Yemen and President Donald Trump’s Middle East policy.

Israel's president says he's 'deeply troubled' by return to the war in Gaza

In an unusual statement, Isaac Herzog said it was 'impossible not to be deeply troubled by the harsh reality unfolding before our eyes'.

Israel’s return to war is a prelude to mass expulsion

In the 15 months that followed 7 October 2023, countless people around the world demonstrated for a ceasefire in Gaza. A small hope emerged when one was agreed in January, even while a return to the status-quo was clearly insufficient. At least Gazans would stop being crushed under buildings, the logic went. At least they would be able to mourn their 45,000 dead.That hope, bleak in its humility, was killed on Tuesday. Israeli rocket-fire announc…

After two months of a fragile truce, Israel launched on Tuesday massive bombings in Palestinian territory, followed since Wednesday by land operations, in order to put pressure on the Islamist movement to release the 58 hostages it still holds.