Israel in Gaza rut as PM Netanyahu faces global and domestic alienation

LONDON – Obsessed with its political survival, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is now drifting aimlessly in its military offensive in Gaza, testing the patience of its chief backer, the US, and of Israel’s most significant neighbour, Egypt.

Israel’s critical military objective remains that of

pushing into southern Gaza and particularly the city of Rafah,

where much of the leadership of Hamas, the militant Palestinian organisation, is assumed to be hiding.