After the stalemate in talks over the last few days, last night Israel launched a series of violent air raids against targets of Hamas and other Palestinian organisations in the Gaza Strip. The toll is heavy: local authorities speak of over 300 deaths. Among these, according to Israel, there are also some high ranking Hamas commanders, engaged in reorganising the group's infrastructure.

The authorities in Tel Aviv have spoken of a pre-emptive attack, and yesterday they leaked the news that Hamas was making preparations to strike Israel, while for days the tension between the two sides had been extremely high. Beyond the usual blame game, the path to the start of Phase 2 of the truce immediately appeared difficult.

After all, the far right had been very clear with Netanyahu: okay to Phase 1, but no Phase 2, otherwise there would be a complete withdrawal of support for the Prime Minister who, at that point, would have seen the inevitable scenario of new elections (and his own political and judicial death) materialise.

Mr Smotrich, the Finance Minister known for his hawkish positions, can claim victory by stating that ‘We remained in the Government for this very reason, despite our opposition to the agreement, and we are more determined than ever to complete the mission and destroy Hamas.’ And even the other hawk, Itamar Ben-Gvir, can now return to the Government as hostilities resume.

In short, Israel seems more determined than ever to pursue its objectives - eradicating Hamas from the Strip, disarming Syria and keeping Hezbollah in Lebanon under pressure - also strengthened by renewed US support and military supplies.

The Trump administration was informed before the attack and gave the ‘green light’: it could not have been otherwise considering the perfect alignment between its positions and those of the Netanyahu government. Moreover, the Israeli raids follow the renewed campaign launched by Washington against the Houthis in Yemen; a campaign that has grown much more intense than in the past and that is also said to be targeting Iranian objectives in Yemen.

The White House is therefore determined to apply the maximum pressure policy against Tehran, engaging directly against its proxies and giving total support to Israel. If Iran doesn't get the message...

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