Netanyahu claims victory against Iran, but polls show many Israelis do not trust him.

Netanyahu claims victory against Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu claims victory against Iran, but polls show many Israelis do not trust him.

In March, the Prime Minister of Israel turned away from a ceasefire process that was showing positive results. At the time, some analysts described his decision as "political suicide."

This was the Gaza ceasefire.

The ceasefire agreement was made possible through the mediation of Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, even before Trump began his second term as President of the United States. As part of the agreement, several dozen hostages were released from Hamas captivity, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

In the next phase, more hostages were to be brought home, and Israeli troops were to be gradually withdrawn from Gaza before the war formally ended through negotiations.

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War-weary Israelis and Palestinians were contemplating an end to one of the most destructive conflicts in recent history. But Netanyahu did not want to end the war.

As he ordered a renewed offensive across Gaza, he stated that the fight would continue "until Hamas is completely destroyed."

At that point, the safe return of the remaining hostages in Gaza seemed like a secondary issue. (The impact on Gaza’s civilian population was not even taken into consideration.)

Many Israelis, especially the families of the hostages, reacted with anger to this decision.

They accused Netanyahu of prioritizing his own political survival over the safety of their loved ones (who remain hostages) and the broader well-being of the nation.

At a press conference earlier last week, the 75-year-old leader — already Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister — stated that he still has “many missions” left to accomplish and that he intends to continue as long as the people of Israel want him to.

By the end of the week, he presented the (still unverified) claim of having destroyed Iran’s nuclear program as a “window of opportunity.” He said this opportunity “should not be missed” and asserted that only he can ensure both the release of hostages from Gaza and the defeat of Hamas. He argued that these goals can be achieved based on a broader regional consensus.