Israel escalates Gaza attacks as Netanyahu stalls ceasefire for polls

Analysts and rights monitors warn that Israel is exploiting a nominal Gaza “ceasefire” to systematically dismantle the enclave ahead of elections.

Palestinians carry the bodies of members of the Abu Malouh family killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza, May 24, 2026 (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) (AP)

May 25, 2026 - Seven months after a “ceasefire” was brokered to halt Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the agreement has morphed into a deadly cover for continued Israeli military operations in the enclave.

Israeli forces have killed at least 880 Palestinians since then, increasing the total from the war to 72,797, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

With Israel’s next national election expected in September, analysts and human rights officials have warned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is deliberately stalling the peace process to appease his right-wing coalition allies and voters.

Mai El-Sheikh, spokesperson for the United Nations Human Rights Office in Palestine, told Al Jazeera that Israel has transformed the “ceasefire” as cover for its ongoing war crimes.

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