Israel’s push to crush Hamas militarily ‘proven impossible’
Dan Perry, an Israeli affairs analyst, says the latest ceasefire proposal that Washington has said Israel agreed to does not appear to include a guarantee of an end to the war on Gaza.
“My assessment is that Israel will insist on a full Hamas disarmament, and also that Israel will come under pressure to allow the [Palestinian Authority] to be the umbrella brand under which Gaza is governed, presumably with the help of Arab countries,” Perry told Al Jazeera.
“Neither of those things have been agreed to, respectively, by Hamas or Israel.”
Hamas has said it is studying the new proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, but insisted it is seeking an agreement that would bring an end to the war.
Meanwhile, Perry said that, in Israel, there is strong opposition to prolonging the war.
“It’s been 21 months and Israel’s idea that it can completely crush Hamas militarily without also killing the hostages in the process. That has proven impossible, or at least extremely difficult, as many people predicted,” he said.
Netanyahu sneaks into Nir Oz for first visit since October 7
The Israeli prime minister’s visit to the kibbutz, which was targeted by Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, was met with protesters who blocked the road, demanding he make a deal to see the return of the remaining Israeli captives held there.
About a year ago, Netanyahu’s office announced he was preparing to visit the kibbutz, but the visit never took place, despite repeated pleas from residents, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports. During one of his news conferences over a year ago, the prime minister presented a map of the Gaza border communities with the Kibbutz’s name missing.
Nearly a quarter of Nir Oz’s residents – 117 people – were killed or kidnapped to Gaza on the day of the massacre.
Footage posted on social media shows Netanyahu’s convoy arriving:
החלאה הולך בניר עוז כאילו הוא בטיול טבע במרכז הליכוד.
על אדמה ספוגה בדם הוא מקושש קולות. טפי עליך יא עוכר ישראל.
השיירה נכנסה כמובן מהשער האחורי. כמו גנבים בלילה. pic.twitter.com/QcUubhSxSm
— HolySmoke💨 (@HolySmokexxxx) July 3, 2025
Translation: The scoundrel walks in Nir Oz as if he’s on a nature hike in the heart of Likud. On blood-soaked ground, he scrambles for votes. Shame on you, you destroyer of Israel. The convoy entered, of course, through the back gate. Like thieves in the night.
