A member of Israel's three-man war cabinet announced his resignation on Sunday over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza.
Benny Gantz, a popular former centrist military chief and one of the prime minister's most prominent critics, joined Netanyahu's government shortly after the October 7 Hamas attack in a show of unity. His presence also increased Israel's credibility with the country's international partners, as he has good working relations with US officials.
Gantz said Netanyahu is making “total victory impossible” and that the government must put the return of hostages captured on October 7 by Hamas “above political survival.”
Ohad Zwigenberg / AP
While his departure does not pose an immediate threat to Netanyahu, who still controls a majority coalition in parliament, it forces the Israeli leader to rely more on his far-right allies.
Last month, Gantz threatened to quit the government by June 8 if a new plan was not adopted. He gave them three weeks.
He ruled out a press conference scheduled for Saturday night afterward four Israeli hostages were dramatically rescued from Gaza earlier in the day. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, at least 274 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more wounded in the attack. The Israeli military said its forces came under heavy fire during the complex daytime operation and that “fewer than 100” Palestinians were killed, although it was unclear how many of them were militants or civilians.
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