Israeli opposition leader calls for an end to Gaza war
Yair Lapid claims the Israeli government has lost the support of the public and no longer has the legitimacy to continue its war in Gaza.
“Since time immemorial, there has been one essential condition for Israel’s wars: a majority,” the Israeli opposition leader said in a post on X.
“The state of Israel cannot wage a war if the majority of the public does not stand behind it, does not believe in its objectives, and does not trust the leadership.
“None of these conditions are met now. It is time to end the war and bring back the hostages.”
Lapid’s remarks come amid mounting domestic pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over its handling of the war and the failure to secure the release of captives in Gaza.
Most Israeli war crime probes since October 2023 stalled: Report
The Israeli military has made no findings in 88 percent of its publicly known investigations into alleged war crimes since October 2023, according to the Action on Armed Violence (AAV) monitoring group.
The London-based group said its “review of 52 cases exposes a chasm between Israel’s professed commitment to self‑scrutiny and the bleak reality experienced by victims and their families”.
Investigations were only launched “when civilian deaths make global headlines”, but then, “over time, the news cycle moves on, and the investigation sinks into silence”, AAV said.
The cases which have yet to deliver any findings include the so-called “flour massacre”, where 112 people were killed when Israeli troops opened fire as hundreds of people waited for aid in Gaza City on February 29, 2024.
“The case was handed to an independent body, but no findings have yet been made public,” AAV said.
The Israeli military responded by saying it has opened dozens of investigations “in accordance with its obligations under Israeli law and international law” and that “most of these investigations are still ongoing.”
Which alleged war crimes has Israel yet to fully investigate?
As we have been reporting, Action on Armed Violence (AAV) has found Israel has stalled 88 percent of its investigations into alleged war crimes since October 2023.
Here are some of the cases:
- “No investigation findings have been released” into the killing of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab and her family on January 29, 2024.
- The Israeli military admitted its soldiers tied Palestinian man Mujahed Azmi to the front of a military jeep during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on June 23, 2024, but “no findings or disciplinary actions have been disclosed.”
- No further announcements have been made since Israel referred the killing of at least 37 civilians, many sheltering in tents, by Israeli air and artillery attacks in Rafah on May 26, 2024 to an “independent” fact-finding group.
- On March 23, 15 Palestinian medics were killed when Israeli soldiers opened fire on a clearly marked ambulance convoy. The Israeli military admitted “professional failures” and dismissed a deputy commander. But it did not press any criminal action against the military units involved in the killing.
- Three Israeli captives who had escaped Hamas captivity were mistakenly shot by Israeli soldiers on December 15, 2023, while waving a white cloth. No disciplinary action was taken.












