The legacy Netanyahu won’t escape by Edoardo Moretti

Benjamin Netanyahu once claimed his iron-fist approach would prevent Israel from facing existential threats. Yet, in the smoldering ruins of Gaza, amid a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in real time, he has crafted what every strategist fears most in an asymmetrical conflict: martyrs. Not hidden ones. Not quiet ones. But global, galvanizing symbols of resistance etched into the consciousness of an increasingly outraged world.

From the start of his political career, Netanyahu positioned himself as a guardian of security. He sold himself as the man who could outmaneuver Iran, break the Palestinian resistance, and keep Israel safe. But his strategy in Gaza, especially during the latest prolonged military operation, has achieved the opposite. The death toll rises. Entire families are wiped out in seconds. Children pulled from the rubble, bloodied and orphaned, are not just casualties, they are the faces of martyrdom now shared in real time across every digital platform. This time, the world is not looking away.

Western allies who once offered unconditional support are hesitating. Editorial boards from Washington to London are speaking in tones once reserved for autocrats. The global south, long skeptical of Western double standards, is now openly accusing Israel of crimes that cross all red lines of human conscience. Even in the halls of power, where diplomacy usually mutes outrage, murmurs have turned into condemnation.

And still, Netanyahu presses forward, as though this spiral of destruction were some test of willpower rather than a catastrophic failure of leadership.

He claims this war is about destroying Hamas but what began as a campaign of retaliation has now morphed into a campaign of annihilation. Entire neighborhoods reduced to dust. Hospitals bombed. Aid convoys denied. Over thirty thousand civilians killed, according to international monitors. The line between military target and war crime is no longer blurred, it’s been obliterated. And with every airstrike, with every funeral, a new martyr is born.

This isn’t just about Gaza anymore. It’s about narrative, perception, and the irreversible moral calculus of modern conflict. In today’s hyper-connected world, where a single photo can reach billions in hours, brutality cannot be hidden behind press conferences or carefully crafted soundbites. The global public is watching and remembering.

Netanyahu might believe that might makes right, but history is littered with regimes who thought the same. Every time he speaks of “eradicating Hamas,” the world sees craters filled with children. Every time he speaks of “precision strikes,” the death toll says otherwise. This is no longer about security. It's about vengeance dressed up in the language of self-defense.

And let’s be clear: this war has not made Israel safer. It has not improved regional stability. It has not won the moral high ground. Instead, it has inflamed hatred, alienated allies, and handed the mantle of heroism to those who, only months ago, were internationally isolated. Martyrdom is a potent fuel. It transcends borders, religion, and political affiliations. It inspires movements. It creates legends. Netanyahu has given his enemies exactly what they needed, not just a cause, but a story. One drenched in blood, yes, but also in perceived honor and injustice.

This is Netanyahu’s legacy, whether he accepts it or not. His name will be remembered not for the security he promised but for the suffering he enabled. For creating, in the eyes of the world, not just victims but saints of resistance. He has written their epitaphs with missiles, carved their images into stone with fire.

And the world, allies and enemies alike, is watching, judging, and, increasingly, condemning. The question now isn’t whether he’s lost the war in Gaza. It’s whether he’s lost the world.