Haaretz: Isn’t it time for the Gaza war to stop?
Haaretz newspaper said that Israel should exploit the momentum generated by the US strikes on Iran to end the war in the Gaza Strip and return the Israeli prisoners.
Haaretz noted that the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan last Saturday evening may be a historic step toward change, but they could also lead to a dangerous escalation of the situation in the region that could drag Israel into a protracted war of attrition and the entire world into a major conflict.
The Israeli newspaper warned of the repercussions of being dragged into an endless war for Israel, noting that this would weaken its internal front, halt its economy, widen the gap in its budget, and exhaust its society.
Haaretz stressed the need not to be drawn into what she described as dangerous ideas about overthrowing the Iranian regime, and to learn lessons from previous similar interventions in the Middle East.
Haaretz explained that the killing in Gaza continues unabated, citing data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health that 55,908 people have been killed in the Strip since the war began on October 7, 2023.
The Israeli newspaper highlighted that the Israeli military’s decision to designate more than 82% of Gaza’s territory as closed zones has led to the overcrowding of the Strip’s residents in unbearable displacement camps.
It added that 242,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes again in the past month alone, and are now living in difficult conditions and a harsh daily reality, it said.
Haaretz added that Israel is also paying a heavy price, as 50 prisoners are still being held in Gaza, while 28 others have been declared dead.
According to Haaretz, Israel needs to move forward to reach a comprehensive agreement that would end the war and result in the release of prisoners as part of a normalization process in the region, adding that Israel should also welcome diplomatic initiatives and refrain from obstructing international efforts to bring Iran back to the path of diplomacy.
The Israeli newspaper concluded its editorial by emphasizing that military action alone would clearly not be sufficient.
Only broad-based diplomatic action could halt Iran’s nuclear program and ensure long-term stability.
