On Thursday, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Netanyahu has "lost his way" and his coalition no longer fit the needs of Israel following the October 7 attack by Hamas. He also said that Israel had been "too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows."
Netanyahu told a Sunday cabinet meeting that some in the international community were "trying to stop" the hostilities in Gaza by "hurling false accusations" against the Israel Defense Forces, the government and the prime minister.
"They are doing so by means of an effort to bring about elections now, at the height of the war. They are doing this because they know that elections now will halt the war and paralyze the country for at least six months," Netanyahu said, without explicitly referring to Schumer.
The Israeli prime minister also accused the international community of having a "short" memory about the heavy toll of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.