Rebuild and escalate the global movement against genocidal war and imperialism
Per-Åke Westerlund, ISA International Political Committee
(This article was first published on 18 March 2025)
Netanyahu’s far-right government, with the full support of Trump, has broken the fragile ceasefire and resumed the Israeli military’s genocidal war on Gaza. In the early morning of Tuesday 18 March, 330 people were reported killed by massive bombing raids, many of them children, and the number continued to rise.
Over 20 fighter jets attacked Rafah, Khan Younis and Gaza City on Tuesday morning. The attack comes a week after Israel blocked all aid and electricity to Gaza, also severely curtailing access to water. This was directed against two million Palestinians who have suffered 15 months of bombardment and invasion that has killed over 48,000 and injured over 110,000. Families have been forced to flee again and again, with 70% of homes destroyed along with schools and hospitals. Even when the ceasefire began on 19 January, there was not nearly enough food or medicine, resulting in widespread starvation and malnutrition.
Plans to resume bombing were finalised at the weekend. The Israeli government has always effectively opposed the “second phase” of the ceasefire. It was supposed to end the war and see the Israeli military leave Gaza, including “corridors” on the border with Egypt and the one that divides Gaza in two. At the same time, the rest of the hostages would be handed over from Gaza in exchange for the release of more Palestinians from Israeli prisons.
This second phase was in practice doomed to failure by the bloody ambitions of the Israeli regime. The finance minister, right-wing extremist Smotrich, led those consistently calling for a resumption of the war and has now, to his delight, got his way. During the two-month ceasefire, Israel’s army also launched an unprecedented new offensive on the West Bank, accompanied by new proposals for its annexation, and established new military bases in southern Lebanon and on Syrian soil. It has also been reportedly campaigning for US support for attacks on Iran.
Trump’s full support for the Israeli government and his plan to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza, a second Nakba, has strengthened Netanyahu’s war plans. The US air force began a new campaign of air strikes on Yemen only days before Netanyahu ripped up the ceasefire. Like Trump, Netanyahu today talks about increasing military pressure and raising hell, something he has been trying to do in practice for almost a year and a half. Still, the new horrific bombings cannot achieve the goals Netanyahu speaks of — the complete eradication of Hamas and the release of the remaining hostages.
The new bombings come on the same day that new mass demonstrations were planned against Netanyahu in Israel itself. This follows new purges in Israel’s military and intelligence services to make way for Netanyahu loyalists. Demonstrations against the war, calling for the release of hostages, have also continued during the ceasefire. With the new offensive, Netanyahu’s government may remain in power for some time, but discontent will grow. The shared hubris of Netantýahu and Trump will backfire on them.
Breaking the ceasefire with new Israeli bombings must and will be met with new global protests and demonstrations. The power of the working class in the key countries of the region must be mobilized against reactionary regimes which prop up the status quo of Palestinian oppression. The international movement must also be escalated further, especially by direct working class action to halt the Western war machine which feeds the Netanyahu regime’s bloodthirsty appetites. The bombs show the reality of Trump’s cynical attempt to portray himself as an advocate of peace. The occupation, siege, and wars against Palestinians are a part of the oppression which the global capitalist, imperialist system rests on. Against this, an international movement and struggle against all imperialism is needed, armed with a programme for international socialism.
