Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he supports at least a partial truce with Hamas militants.
The latest developments from the war-torn Gaza region indicate otherwise. According to the New York Times, Netanyahu is reportedly preventing a cease-fire to appease several far-right lawmakers whose Parliamentary support hinges on the war’s continuation.
Netanyahu is also at odds with his national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, after the latter visited a holy site in Jerusalem with dozens of other Jews to pray.
Muslims believe it was the same site on which the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. Netanyahu scrutinized Ben-Gvir’s actions in a prepared statement:
Britain, France and Germany are urging Iran not to retaliate against Israel over the assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran, for which Iran blames Israel. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the killing.
Iran is, for the time being, is heeding those calls to “de-escalate.”
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer posted on Aug. 12: “The situation in the Middle East is deeply concerning. This evening, I spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian about the need for all parties to de-escalate to avoid further confrontation.”
Newly elected Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian is considered a reformist, eager to prioritize peace over conflict.
Whether this attitude has any effect on Netanyahu remains to be seen. Until then, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is getting worse by the day. The war, now in its tenth month, forced hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to flood into evacuation zones.
Families crowd under tents without access to food or clean water.
The Israel Defense Forces have repeatedly struck one such stretch of land called al-Mawasi. Evacuees told the Times that what was originally deemed a humanitarian zone, “is no longer a safe area.”
The number of casualties is unclear. The United Nations reported in May that more than 34,800 people have died in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. More than 9,500 were believed to be women and over 14,500 were children.
The UN subsequently updated the data, reducing the figures to 4,959 women and 7,797 children among the people killed.
ETFs To Watch: The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY moved higher on Tuesday, up 1.46%. The SPDR Gold Shares GLD ETF is trending down 0.16%.
The United States Oil Fund USO is down 1.42% at last check Tuesday.
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