Netanyahu Continues to Use Gaza Incursion to Hide from Corruption Case

GAZA, WEDNESDAY—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again leveraged the attack on Gaza to save himself from corruption cases. The attack also regained him support from right-wing groups. These groups had abandoned Netanyahu due to the Phase I ceasefire in Gaza.

Gaza was heavily attacked on Tuesday (18/3/2025). By Wednesday morning, at least 404 people had been killed and 562 injured. The number of casualties is feared to be higher, as many are still believed to be trapped under the rubble due to the bombings.

Israeli media, Times of Israel, wrote on Tuesday that Netanyahu should be questioned again for corruption. Netanyahu has tried to avoid the questioning. The reason is that he wants to prepare for the visit of Argentine President Javier Milei and the parliamentary hearing on the state budget.

The prosecutor refused to accept the reasoning. The prosecutor's rejection was conveyed on Sunday (16/3). Netanyahu then sought a new justification. He ultimately resorted to one of the tactics guaranteed to be accepted: attacking Gaza.

It is common for the Prime Minister and relevant officials to be in the operations control room during military attacks. Under such circumstances, it would be impossible for Netanyahu to attend court and be questioned by prosecutors.

The trick worked. Prosecutors agreed to postpone the hearing on the day Israeli warplanes dropped tons of bombs on Gaza.

"Several hours ago, the IDF launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip," the statement read. "This morning at 11 a.m., an urgent security consultation will be held involving the prime minister, the defense minister, and the heads of the IDF security apparatus."

Ronen Bar, Head of Israel's Internal Security Agency (Shin Bet), who is currently undergoing dismissal proceedings by Netanyahu, was not included in the meeting.

This is not the first time Netanyahu has asked for a delay in his trial. Last December, he asked for a nearly month-long delay, citing prostate surgery.

Meanwhile, in February 2025, he requested that the examination time be reduced from three to twice a week. The judge agreed to the request.

Over the past five years, Netanyahu has been on trial in three corruption cases. In two of the cases, known as Case 1,000 and Case 2,000, he was charged with fraud and breach of trust. In the other case, known as Case 4,000, he was also charged with bribery.

In Case 1000, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting $191,000 from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan in exchange for Netanyahu's help with Milchan's long-term residency visa and tax matters.

In Case 2,000, Netanyahu is said to have colluded with Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper owner Arnon Mozes. Netanyahu helped Mozes undermine Yedioth Ahronoth's rival, Israel Hayom, with his power as PM. In return, Mozes published positive coverage of Netanyahu in Yedioth Ahronoth.

Netanyahu's collusion with media owners also occurred in Case 4,000. It is also known as the Bezeq-Walla Case. The name of the case refers to the names of two companies owned by Shaul Elovitch, a businessman who colluded with Netanyahu.

Elovicth has a large stake in Israeli telecommunications giant Bezeq. He also has a significant stake in Israeli media company Walla.

Netanyahu made rules that benefited Bezeq. Meanwhile, Elovitch ordered Walla's editors to produce news that benefited Netanyahu.

Netanyahu has denied the charges and claims the cases are fabricated. He has accused police and prosecutors of character assassinating him with the cases and even attempting to stage a political coup against him. In his testimony, he clashed with judges and lashed out at the media, which he said was biased against him.

After the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Netanyahu was faced with two choices: repatriate his citizens who were taken hostage through a deal with Hamas or continue the war. The destruction of Gaza was believed to be the only way to eliminate Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups.

A military operation into the Gaza region is necessary. Because, agreeing with Hamas is considered to weaken the Netanyahu government.

Israel must withdraw troops from Gaza, a decision that has angered the far-right, one of the mainstays of Netanyahu's political survival.

Bezalel Smotrich, finance minister and a right-wing politician when the ceasefire was struck in January, has threatened to abandon Netanyahu if the ceasefire talks advance to Phase 2. Opposition parties have pledged to support Netanyahu in any deal that brings back the hostages.

However, the coalition is considered to be very weak. As a result, it could open up the potential for Netanyahu to be removed from office and hold early elections.

Netanyahu denied that the military strikes on Palestine were motivated by political calculations. Netanyahu said the strikes were ordered because Hamas had rejected a proposal to extend the ceasefire.

"From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with greater force. And from now on, negotiations will only take place under fire," he said, speaking from the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv.

"Hamas has felt the blow from our hands in the last 24 hours. And I want to assure you: This is just the beginning," Netanyahu continued.

A senior Hamas official said Netanyahu's decision to return to war was tantamount to a death sentence for the remaining hostages. Izzat al-Risheq accused Netanyahu of launching the attack to save his far-right governing coalition.

The main group representing the hostages' families accused the government of "deliberately breaking" the ceasefire. Thousands of Israelis packed a Tel Aviv square on Tuesday night to protest Netanyahu's intention to fire the country's internal security chief and demand that the government resume negotiations for a hostage deal.

"Today Netanyahu did not open the gates of hell for Hamas. He opened the gates of hell for our loved ones," said Einav Zangauker, whose son is among the hostages.

Families in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza and Khan Younis were forced to leave their homes again. Throughout Tuesday (18/3), Israeli fighter jets bombarded several areas in Gaza.

Carrying what little they had, they walked or rode in cars, rickshaws, and horse-drawn carriages. They fled after the Israeli military ordered them to stay away from dangerous battle zones.

Witnesses told Reuters that Israeli tanks were shelling areas in Rafah in the south. Confused children sat next to bags of belongings, ready to flee. "It was a night of hell. It felt like the first days of the war," said Rabiha Jamal, 65, a mother of five.

Palestinian health authorities say more than 400 people have been killed in one of the largest single-day tolls since the war began. Hospitals and health facilities are overwhelmed. The health ministry says many of the dead are children.

Several Hamas officials were killed in the attack, including Essam Addalees, the de facto head of the Hamas government; Ahmed Al-Hetta, the deputy justice minister; and Mahmoud Abu Watfa, the head of the Hamas-run security service.

The attack on a house in Rafah killed 17 members of one family, according to the European Hospital, which received the bodies. The dead included five children, their parents and another father and his three children.

Another attack in Gaza City killed 27 members of a single family, half of them women and children. The victims included a one-year-old baby.

Egypt and Qatar, mediators of the Hamas-Israel talks, condemned the Israeli attacks, while the European Union expressed regret over the failure of the ceasefire.

U.S. allies, like Israel, have blamed Hamas. Dorothy Shea, the acting U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the blame "lies entirely with Hamas" and expressed the U.S. government's support for Israel in its next steps. (AP/Reuters)