There Are Growing Indications that Israel is Preparing For Another War in Gaza

Since March, Gaza's Palestinian residents have been demonstrating each week at the border with Israel. They want a “right of return” for Palestinians and their descendants who fled or were forced to leave Gaza during the creation of Israel. The protests grew when President Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem in May and as Israel ratcheted up its blockade of Gaza.

Most of the demonstrators have protested peacefully, but a few have launched flaming kites and balloons across the border, and Hamas has fired rockets and mortars into Israel. Israeli security forces have retaliated swiftly and forcefully to incidents of violence and have killed more than 100 Palestinians and injured thousands more, including peaceful protesters, children and journalists covering the unrest.

There are signs now that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be growing impatient with the ongoing unrest and is preparing for another war in Gaza.

Vox: "In mid-July, top Israeli officials also ordered the military to prepare for a possible ground invasion of Gaza — but it’s unclear if that means an invasion is imminent."

"And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned trip to Colombia last Thursday, citing current tensions with Gaza. That same day, Israel indefinitely blocked fuel and gas from entering Gaza...."

“I’m honestly surprised we haven’t seen a full-blown war yet,” said Khaled Elgindy, an adviser to Palestinian leadership from 2004 to 2009 who is now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington. “It’s only a matter of time.”

"If full-scale war does break out, experts warn the conflict will almost certainly be even bloodier and uglier than the last time."

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