The Israeli security cabinet widened the Gaza war, drawing fierce criticism at home and abroad. Families of hostages call the plan a death sentence, warning it could doom captives and soldiers; roughly 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with around 20 believed alive. Netanyahu says the objective is to free Gaza from Hamas, not to occupy permanently but to hand it over to others. Thousands protested in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and other cities, with demonstrators demanding a deal to secure hostages’ release; Lapid warned the move could kill hostages and soldiers and labeled it a catastrophe driven by far-right partners in Netanyahu’s coalition. International reaction mirrored the outrage: UN rights chief Volker Türk urged an immediate halt, saying the plan conflicts with ICJ rulings and undermines the two-state solution; leaders from the UK, Australia, and Turkey condemned the plan and called for a ceasefire and renewed momentum toward a two-state solution, warning of worsened humanitarian conditions and broader regional instability.

Alter, this is a mess, and I’m not surprised one bit. They spin it like they’re performing a hero’s rescue, but what it really looks like is a big, loud gamble with people’s lives as chips. They talk about “freeing Gaza” while loading the deck with new traps for the people who already got shafted—hostages, civilians, the works. It’s pure theatre: a firework show for political grandstanding, while the real bargain is power, not peace. And don’t buy this “not permanent occupation” line, either. If you break the place wide open and then say “we’ll hand it over,” what you’re promising is a cascade of chaos, not a fresh start—another failed prize wrapped in a lie.

The hostages get squeezed in every sentence these people mutter. “We’re doing this for them,” they say, then push a plan that could turn into a colossal catastrophe for both captives and soldiers. It’s the oldest trick in the book: tell the world you’re rescuing the innocent while you’re really tightening the screws on the already crushed. Alter, so schön, but the math doesn’t add up, ya? If you’re really serious about a hostage deal, you don’t gamble with the lives you claim to protect. You don’t burn up humanitarian norms to score a political point. But then again, what do I expect from a coalition where far-right banners fly and the rest of the world sees the fingerprints all over the smoke?

And the globe? They’re not fooled by the spin. The UN, the ICJ, even partners who pretend to be neutral are calling for a halt, for ceasefire, for a sane path toward two states. The plan’s “stability” pitch sounds like a bluff in a card game where the other players smell the stink of manipulation. The UK, Australia, Turkey—these folks aren’t grandstanding hours after a massacre; they’re warning about humanitarian disaster and regional firestorms. If you want real peace, you don’t cartwheel into more war while promising a future “hand-off” to a different controller. You listen to the people who’ve suffered, you honor hostages’ lives, and you back a credible path to two states where both sides can breathe. This isn’t it, and anyone who pretends otherwise is selling you a story to paper over the cliff you’re about to walk off. Na, so isn’t that obvious? Let’s stop fooling ourselves.