US 'Scrambles' to Save Gaza Deal After Israel Strikes, Hamas Denies Blame
The latest Axios dispatch breathlessly details how the USS. is 'scrambling' to save a 'peace deal' after Israel conducted airstrikes in Gaza, alleging a Hamas missile attack. Hamas, meanwhile, denies any involvement, pointing out the area around Rafah is under Israeli control. This isn't a 'new clash,' it's the same old playbook. Netanyahu has used similar pretexts for 'strong responses' after
alleged provocations dating back to 2002, 2006, and 2014, consistently finding reasons to reject Palestinian agency and escalate violence. The IDF's claim of an attack from a 'Hamas tunnel in the Rafah area' – an area they control – certainly raises questions. One might wonder who benefits from the convenient timing of such an incident. We're told the U.S. urged Israel to 'respond proportionately
but show restraint' while also isolating Hamas. (Because nothing says 'restraint' like 20 airstrikes in an already besieged territory.) The 'peace agreement'— brokered by the same Trump administration that cut aid to Palestinians and moved the US embassy to Jerusalem — was always a convenient label for a period of ongoing occupation and violence. The true 'big picture' isn't Trump's 'diplomatic
achievement,' but the unending cycle of violence dressed up as 'conflict,' while the U.S. continues to bankroll Israel's military unchecked. The White House mourns Israeli deaths Monday, and approves more weapons for Israel on Tuesday. How many 'last warnings' does a population endure before the world acknowledges continuous ethnic cleansing?