The American magazine The New York Times has held Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for the prolonged war in Gaza.

In a detailed report, The New York Times wrote that Netanyahu had shown willingness for a ceasefire in April 2024 in exchange for the release of hostages.

The report states that following Hamas’s Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in October 2023, many expected Netanyahu’s political downfall due to the massive security failure.

It was widely assumed the war would end by early 2024, leading to the collapse of his coalition and legal consequences.

Instead, Netanyahu used the war to bolster his political standing, first to survive and later to dominate.

In April 2024, he was reportedly close to approving a six-week ceasefire that would have freed over 30 hostages and opened peace talks with Hamas.

However, the hardline Finance Minister of the coalition Israeli government, Bezalel Smotrich, got wind of it.

According to The New York Times, Smotrich demanded that if ceasefire happened, he would leave the coalition government. In order to maintain his government, Netanyahu rejected the ceasefire.

The recent report by the American magazine also states that if the ceasefire had taken place and Netanyahu had lost in the subsequent elections, the corruption case he has been facing since 2020 would have been reopened.