TEHRAN- Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has entered its 12th month as the death toll from the onslaught approaches 41,000.

About 17,000 Palestinian children are among those who have been massacred during the war. 

The total death toll is estimated to be much higher as many Palestinians are believed to have been buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli air strikes. 

The United Nations warned on Thursday that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is "beyond catastrophic" amid severe food shortages. 

Israel stands accused of deliberately starving Palestinians by largely restricting the flow of humanitarian aid into the territory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also under fire for sabotaging negotiations aimed at establishing a ceasefire and ending the war of genocide. 

Netanyahu has added four excessive demands to a ceasefire proposal laid out by US President Joe Biden on May 31.

Hamas has welcomed Biden’s ceasefire plan which was endorsed by the United Nations Security Council in June. 

Netanyahu’s demands include keeping control of the Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer strip of land bordering Egypt.

Israeli forces seized the corridor in May and it has become a point of contention in ceasefire negotiations.  

Netanyahu has insisted on retaining control of the Philadelphi Corridor under the pretext of ensuring that it is not used as a supply line of weapons and ammunition for Hamas.

“We will not go out. The importance of the Philadelphi Corridor is cardinal – to bring out the hostages, to ensure that Hamas is destroyed and that Gaza will not again be a threat to us,” he said on Monday. 

But critics have argued that Netanyahu seeks to derail ceasefire talks and prolong the war by using the Philadelphi Corridor as a pretext. 

 “Imaginary figment”
The former head of Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency has come down hard on Netanyahu for trying to keep troops on the corridor. 

“When Netanyahu speaks of remaining on the Philadelphi Corridor, he knows very well that no smuggling takes place over the Philadelphi Corridor. So, we are now relegated to living with this imaginary figment,” said Nadav Argaman, who headed the agency between 2016 and 2021. 

Speaking to Israeli media, he added, “The entire thing is intended only to preserve this dangerous Messianic government.” 

The former Israeli spy boss also called for ending the war in Gaza and moving toward a ceasefire, expressing concern that the regime’s future has been “hijacked by an extremist, radical government.”

“Moral disgrace”

Other Israeli officials including war minister Yoav Gallant have also berated Netanyahu over his policy toward the corridor.

“The fact that we prioritize the Philadelphi Corridor at the cost of the lives of the hostages is a moral disgrace,” Gallant said earlier this month. 

Israeli army Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi has also said maintaining troops on the corridor would expose them to “unnecessary risk”.

The families of the captives have also adopted a similar stance. 

“After close to a year of neglect, Netanyahu doesn’t miss a single opportunity to ensure that there won’t be a deal. Not a day goes by that Netanyahu doesn’t take concrete action to jeopardize the return home of all the hostages,” they said, according to The Cradle. 

More than 1,100 people were killed and about 250 others were taken captive when Hamas carried out the Al-Aqsa Storm, a surprise military operation in southern Israel on October 7 which was followed by the Netanyahu regime’s brutal onslaught.

Dozens of the captives are still held in Gaza following a swap deal in November last year. 

Lame excuse 

Hamas has stressed that a complete ceasefire hinges on Israel’s withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s insistence on keeping a military presence in the corridor has raised a serious question. 

Netanyahu claims that the corridor plays a key role in helping Hamas receive weapons; so why didn’t the Israeli army take any action to control the corridor before the Al-Aqsa Storm?

It is as clear as day that Netanyahu does not miss a chance to throw a wrench in ceasefire talks over ending the Gaza war. This is because the end of the war will spell trouble for his premiership. 

A source from within Netanyahu’s ruling coalition has shed light on the premier’s obstructive tactics. 

“Not one minister, including those who know that Netanyahu is sabotaging a deal, will do anything. They are bound to one another, their political survival depends on the government’s survival, and therefore this situation will continue. Netanyahu will pursue an endless war because that’s what is good for him,” the source told Haaretz. 

To sum up, Israel’s insistence on keeping troops along the Philadelphi Corridor, its recent large-scale assault on the West Bank and other warmongering policies are just aimed at torpedoing a ceasefire deal that can bring an end to the Gaza war.