5:59 v originále: Netanyahu Wants a Complete Victory, Says Analyst Zilber

The ongoing war in the Gaza Strip is leading to further devastation of the Palestinian enclave. According to Palestinian health officials over 29,000 people have been reported killed. International organizations are warning of a deepening humanitarian crisis. Foreign pressure on Israel is increasing. Meanwhile, the Israeli government has presented its vision for the administration of Gaza after the fighting ends. However, it raises additional questions even among some of Israel's allies. What will happen next in Gaza? What is the current situation there? And is there a chance for at least a temporary ceasefire?

Listen to the full interview with Neri Zilber for the 5:59 podcast in the English version:

Rozhovor s českým dabingem si můžete poslechnout zde.

The dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has been the target of international criticism against Israel practically since the beginning of the war. According to Neri Zilber, the situation in Gaza is „very grim, very dire“ - people lack food, medical care, drinking water, and other necessities.

Initially, Israel was reluctant to allow the influx of almost any humanitarian aid. Some Israeli officials, in particular, adopted a very hardline stance. „There were very hardline comments made by senior Israeli officials to the extent that not one drop of water, not one piece of whatever piece of aid, would be allowed in.“

Gradually, however, humanitarian aid has begun to reach Gaza again. But far from the extent before the war, when five hundred trucks entered the area. „We've seen maybe on average at most 100 - 200 trucks a day of aid going in,“ calculates Neri Zilber, adding that, in his opinion, a larger volume of aid needs to be sent to the Strip. He points out that within the past month there is a growing problem of security inside the Gaza Strip.

How does Israel's government react to the criticism? To what extent is Israel's response to Hamas' organized terrorist attack shaped by the far right figures in Netanyahu's government?  How much power do these politicians wield and how much can they shift the debate and the adopted policies? What have the four months of war shown about whether the officially declared aims of the operation - dismantling Hamas rule in Gaza and rescuing all remaining Israeli hostages that were seized by the group - are achievable? And what are the plans for a post war Gaza? Listen to the audio at the top of the article.