The ongoing conflict in Gaza, nearing its second anniversary, has sparked disagreements among families and friends within Israel, exacerbating existing political and cultural divides.
While families of hostages and peace advocates are urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to declare a ceasefire to facilitate the release of those still held captive since October 1, 2023, right-wing government officials favor seizing the moment to annex more Palestinian territories, despite the potential for international backlash.
This debate casts a shadow over citizen relationships and has divided a society facing a critical moment during Israel’s longest war in its history.
Independent Israeli journalist Meron Rapoport believes these tensions reflect the severe polarization within Israeli society since Hamas’s attack, which resulted in 1,219 fatalities.
According to Rapoport, who previously worked as an editor at the leftist newspaper “Haaretz,” a key factor driving the war is Israel’s ongoing internal divisions, which predate the current conflict and have been marked by massive protests accusing Netanyahu of corruption and jeopardizing judicial independence.
Today, the sense of unity that followed the Hamas attack has diminished.
As the war drags on and Israel faces increasing condemnation for the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the lack of progress on hostage releases, both sides are asserting their positions more fiercely.
A survey conducted by the Israeli National Security Studies Institute between July 24 and 28, which included 803 Jewish respondents and 151 Arab respondents, indicated that most Israelis blame Hamas for obstructing an agreement on the hostages’ release.
The poll revealed that only 24 percent of Israelis expressed concern or significant concern regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the United Nations warns of potential famine, as Palestinians perish while seeking food aid.
Despite the divisions, the community is strongly rallying around the families of the hostages, while criticism of Netanyahu intensifies over accusations that he is prolonging the war to strengthen his political standing.
Mika Almog, an Israeli writer and peace activist involved in the “It’s Time” coalition, emphasized that in Israel, “there is conscription. These soldiers are our children, sent into a criminal, deceitful war that continues only for political purposes.”
On Monday, 50 former diplomats, military leaders, and intelligence officials sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, urging him to press Netanyahu for a deal to free the hostages now that the military phase of the war has achieved its objectives.
Ayalon, a former head of the Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet, stated in a recorded message, “This was initially a just war, a defensive war, but now that we have achieved all military goals, the war is no longer just.”
He warned in his statement published alongside the letter that “this war undermines the security and identity of the State of Israel.”