Israel steps up strikes on Gaza as elections approach

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continue to face deadly attacks by Israeli forces on an almost daily basis despite a theoretical "ceasefire", amid upcoming elections in Israel due to be held in October.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the ICC for war crime, faces an increasingly competitive electoral battle in Israel and seeks to maintain a tough image on "security".

On Sunday, an Israeli drone strike hit a civilian vehicle in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood, west of Gaza City, killing two Palestinians and injuring 13 others, according to local sources and eyewitnesses.

The strike set the vehicle ablaze as it travelled through the area. The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that two people were killed and 13 wounded, some critically, and said its teams transported the injured to hospital.

The Israeli army had not immediately commented on the attack.

The strike came as Israeli authorities also closed the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings to the movement of people and the entry of goods, tightening a de facto siege of the territory.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, 1,369 Palestinians have been killed and 4,627 wounded since the ceasefire took effect in October, 2025.

The figures bring the overall Palestinian death toll since the start of Israel's war on Gaza on 7 October 2023 to 73,783, with 174,783 people wounded.

Netanyahu turns to 'security' as election race tightens

The continued Israeli attacks come as Israel moves towards elections for the 26th Knesset, with Netanyahu's Likud party facing growing competition from opposition parties.

Recent opinion polls suggest that Likud is losing ground to Yashar, a party led by former Israeli army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot. Out of five recent polls, four show Eisenkot's party ahead, while Likud came first in an i24NEWS poll.

An average of the five surveys puts Yashar on 23.6 projected seats in the Knesset, compared with 21.4 for Likud. Naftali Bennett's Bennett 2026 party follows with an average of 12.4 seats.

The wider political picture remains divided. Netanyahu's bloc, including Ofer Winter's party, averages 53.4 seats, compared with 53.6 for the opposition, while Arab parties are projected to win around 12.2 seats, according to i24NEWS poll.

If Yoaz Hendel and Ron Zilcha join the opposition after it passes the electoral threshold, the opposition could reach approximately 54.4 seats.

The narrow margins have made security a central issue in the emerging campaign, with Netanyahu seeking to reinforce his credentials among right-wing voters by presenting himself as the leader best positioned to confront what he claims are threats facing Israel.

Gaza-based Palestinian political analyst Hossam Al-Dajani told The New Arab that Netanyahu understands the importance of security issues in shaping Israeli voters' choices and is therefore seeking to keep the war and Gaza high on the political agenda.

"Netanyahu is attempting to present himself to the Israeli public as the man most capable of managing the war and protecting Israel," he said.

He argued that continued military operations reinforce Netanyahu's political narrative and allow him to portray himself as a leader capable of confronting security threats.

"The close polling makes it particularly difficult for Netanyahu to make major concessions over Gaza or significantly reduce military operations," he continued.

"Any significant scaling back of operations or concessions regarding the Gaza issue could be exploited by his opponents to accuse him of weakness," he explained.

Gaza remains central to Netanyahu's political calculations

Ramallah-based political analyst Esmat Mansour similarly linked the continuation of Israeli attacks during the ceasefire to Netanyahu's domestic political calculations.

He told TNA that Netanyahu was seeking to keep Gaza at the centre of Israeli political debate and prevent the war from being overshadowed by questions about domestic accountability and the failures surrounding the 7 October attacks.

"Netanyahu is facing a crisis linked to the failures of October 7," Mansour said, arguing that the prime minister is attempting to recast himself as a leader engaged in an "ongoing war" rather than one facing scrutiny over the political and security failures that preceded it.

With elections approaching, Mansour said, security is likely to remain one of the most important issues for Israeli voters.

"The electoral battle will not merely be about who ends the war, but about who can present themselves to Israelis as the most capable of ensuring security," he added.

For Netanyahu, maintaining pressure on Gaza could therefore serve a dual purpose: keeping the security issue at the heart of the campaign while strengthening his position among right-wing voters.

But Mansour cautioned that the strategy also carries political risks.

An escalation that results in further Israeli military casualties or generates stronger international criticism could ultimately damage Netanyahu rather than strengthen him, he said.

For Palestinians in Gaza, however, the political calculations in Israel continue to have deadly consequences.