JERUSALEM

Israeli human rights activist Ofer Neiman stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing political troubles at home due to ongoing corruption cases and increasing opposition and is betting on his brutality in Gaza to gain political support.

Speaking to Anadolu, Neiman said: "The real goal behind the ongoing Israeli attacks and genocide is to expel Palestinians from Gaza."

Early Tuesday, Israel resumed its war on Gaza, abandoning a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas that lasted 58 days since Jan. 19, 2025. The agreement had been brokered by Qatar and Egypt with US support.

Senior Israeli political and security officials have once again threatened that the latest attacks will be even more severe than previous ones.

Political troubles

Neiman pointed out that Netanyahu is in trouble politically due to ongoing corruption cases and rising opposition.

"Netanyahu is trying to get rid of senior officials who disagree with him, as well as escape accountability for the war crimes he has committed and for which he is being pursued by the International Criminal Court (ICC)," he said.

The latest move to remove officials came early Friday when Netanyahu’s government decided to terminate the tenure of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar by April 10, unless a permanent replacement is appointed before then.

On Nov. 21, 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Palestinians in Gaza.

Neiman noted that "the ceasefire agreement was a political failure for Netanyahu because it forced him to halt the genocide and release Palestinian prisoners."

He explained that proceeding to the second phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement would require releasing more Palestinian detainees and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. However, Netanyahu “prefers escalation over de-escalation.”

He also noted that Netanyahu is receiving backing from US President Donald Trump, who has given him "the green light to continue the genocide."

For 16 months, Hamas has been engaged in negotiations with Israel, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US. However, these negotiations have failed to secure the release of all Israeli captives in Gaza or to end the war, as Israel has consistently violated agreements, and Netanyahu has backed out of commitments.

The latest Israeli violation was the resumption of the war on Gaza early Tuesday, shattering the ceasefire agreement. This was followed by an announcement from Tel Aviv of the start of ground operations in Gaza, effectively resetting the situation to its previous state.

‘Israel killed its own captives in Gaza’

The Israeli activist noted that many Israeli captives in Gaza were killed due to Israeli bombardments between October 2023, when Israel began its war on Gaza, and January 2025.

"A significant portion of Israeli society does not actually care about its captives in Gaza," Neiman added.

He argued: "I believe the real objective of these attacks is to eliminate Gaza and ethnically cleanse it."

Neiman pointed out that "the ceasefire agreement reached in January was imposed on the Israeli Prime Minister," adding that Netanyahu "is betting that renewed brutality in Gaza will bring him political support."

Tel Aviv estimates that 59 Israeli captives remain in Gaza, with 24 still alive. Meanwhile, over 9,500 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons under severe conditions, including torture, starvation, and medical neglect, which has resulted in the deaths of many detainees, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights reports.

‘Main goal is displacing Palestinians’

Neiman asserted that the primary goal is to "expel Palestinians from Gaza," stating: "They are trying to send them to Sudan, Somalia, or Somaliland. This is the plan, but at the same time, a planned genocide is being carried out."

He emphasized that "Netanyahu is not the only one responsible, as many Israelis support this genocide."

Neiman warned that "if the world does not intervene to stop this genocide, the persecution will continue. It is likely that this situation will escalate and impact other parts of the region and possibly other parts of the world."

Since Jan. 25, US President Donald Trump has been promoting a plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries such as Egypt and Jordan. However, both countries have rejected this, along with other Arab and European nations, as well as regional and international organizations.

Since resuming its war on Gaza early Tuesday, Israel has killed more than 700 Palestinians and injured over 900 others, most of whom are women and children, according to official figures from Gaza's government.

Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 112,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.