SPD lawmaker demands answers on Netanyahu's Gaza policy ahead of Israeli elections

Israel holds parliamentary elections on Tuesday, October 27, with a TIME magazine report alleging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government actively supported Qatari aid payments to Gaza over a decade, raising questions ahead of the vote. The report, based on unpublished documents, says Israeli security officials repeatedly pushed for continued payments totaling nearly $2 billion for humanitarian aid, fuel, and salaries. SPD lawmaker Macit Karaahmetoğlu demands accountability, saying the documents shed "shocking light" on Netanyahu's Gaza policy. Netanyahu denies political motives, claiming payments prevented humanitarian collapse. Expert Ofer Waldman warns against high hopes for change, predicting a stalemate amid deep societal divisions over October 7 responsibility and military service exemptions.