Day 946: Israel Security Cabinet Convenes to Formally Discuss Gaza War Resumption — IDF Destroys Central Gaza Terror Tunnel as Hamas Holds Firm

On May 10, 2026 (Day 946 / Ceasefire Day 213), Israel's security cabinet convened its most substantive deliberation yet on formally resuming the Gaza war — confirming that operational planning had reached the political authorization threshold. The session, reported by Times of Israel, was directly prompted by Hamas's categorical refusal to engage with the Board of Peace disarmament framework: all four deadlines (April 11, April 14, April 19, and the late-April window) had passed without Hamas compliance, and the Board of Peace's May 6 declaration that it would not hold Israel to ceasefire terms removed the last major international constraint on renewed military operations. On the ground during the cabinet meeting, the IDF was actively destroying a terror tunnel discovered in central Gaza — underscoring that Israeli military operations were already approaching a de facto war resumption threshold. No formal vote to restart full-scale combat operations was publicly announced by day's end; officials indicated the cabinet continued reviewing operational plans for a comprehensive ground offensive against Hamas's remaining military infrastructure. The central constraint remained diplomatic coordination with the Trump administration: Netanyahu was expected to secure explicit US authorization before issuing a formal war resumption order, and the White House's primary regional focus remained the Iran nuclear file. IDF operational readiness for a resumed ground campaign was reported as complete pending political authorization from both Jerusalem and Washington. The security cabinet deliberations also took place against the backdrop of the October 7 investigation deadline — with 52 days remaining until the Supreme Court's July 1 framework requirement, some cabinet members and military analysts raised concerns that a resumed war could further delay accountability proceedings into or beyond Israel's October 2026 general election cycle.