The New York Times has published a six-month investigation alleging that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prolonged the war in Gaza to safeguard his political survival and avoid potential legal consequences. The report, released on 11 July, draws on interviews with more than 110 officials from Israel, the United States and several Arab states, as well as cabinet minutes, war plans and court filings. According to the Times, Netanyahu was prepared in April 2024 to back a six-week cease-fire that would have freed more than 30 Israeli hostages and opened the door to broader truce negotiations. He reportedly shelved the plan after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned that such a deal would topple the governing coalition, which also relies on hard-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The investigation outlines additional instances—in January and March 2024—when Netanyahu is said to have stalled or broken off cease-fire efforts to keep the alliance intact. The paper further states that Netanyahu ignored at least five intelligence warnings in 2023 about Hamas’s intentions before the 7 October attack and curtailed formal records of wartime decision-making. By extending the conflict, the Times estimates, Palestinian fatalities have surpassed 57,000, including nearly 10,000 children under 11, while at least eight more Israeli hostages died in captivity. Beyond the humanitarian toll, the continued fighting has stalled a U.S.-backed bid to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and intensified Netanyahu’s legal and diplomatic exposure. The prime minister remains on trial for corruption charges dating to 2020 and is the target of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant—pressures the Times argues gave him a personal stake in keeping the war going.