Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s military cabinet and Israel’s opposition leader, announced on Sunday that he was resigning from Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, calling on the prime minister to hold elections, Israeli media reported.
The resignation dealt a blow to the semblance of unity Netanyahu managed to create at the start of the conflict and exposed divisions within Israel’s top leadership over the future of the war and its aftermath.
Gantz, a centrist who last month threatened to resign if Netanyahu did not respond to his concerns about how the war would end and what would follow, said his party was leaving the emergency government “with a heavy but full heart.” He said Netanyahu’s leadership was “preventing us from moving towards real victory.”
The move is unlikely to force Netanyahu from office – the prime minister’s government will still have a narrow majority in the Israeli parliament. Gantz’s departure comes amid growing frustration over his failure to decisively topple Hamas or bring home all hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attack on southern Israel. Netanyahu also faces international criticism as destruction and civilian casualties mount in Gaza.
Last month, Gantz set a Saturday deadline for Netanyahu to meet his demands on a number of issues, including a plan to return hostages held in Gaza. He had scheduled a news conference for Saturday but postponed the speech after Israeli authorities announced the release of four hostages.
In a televised address on Sunday evening, Gantz offered his vision of a “real victory,” saying it would include prioritising hostage return over political survival – an apparent jab at the prime minister. He also said it would combine “military success” with a diplomatic initiative, toppling Hamas and replacing it with an alternative government.
Stumbling block
One of Gantz’s most notable disagreements with Netanyahu has been over plans for the future governance of Gaza. Critics say Netanyahu has failed to articulate a coherent plan for how and by whom Gaza will be governed after the war ends. Gantz is calling for an administrative body to oversee civilian affairs, with American, European, Arab and Palestinian support.
On Sunday, Gantz praised Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, a member of Netanyahu’s party who has sometimes spoken out against the prime minister, and urged him not only to “say the right things but also to do what is right,” although the meaning of his words was not immediately clear.
Netanyahu responded to Gantz’s remarks by calling on him to remain in the government. He wrote on X:
“Israel is in an existential war on several fronts. Benny, this is not the time to abandon the campaign — this is the time to unite forces. My door will remain open to any Zionist party willing to shoulder the gurney and help bringing about victory over our enemies and ensuring our citizens’ safety.”
Now that he has excluded himself from the war cabinet, Gantz’s ability to influence the course of the war will be limited. But it will allow him to brand himself as the man to oppose Netanyahu ahead of future elections. Critics, however, say Gantz should have made the move months ago.
The aid pier has been suspended
Meanwhile, the director of the UN World Food Programme said on Sunday that the programme had “suspended” the distribution of humanitarian aid from a US-built pier off the coast of Gaza, saying she was “concerned for the safety of our people” after one of the deadliest days of the war in the country.
The Israeli military launched an assault on Saturday that freed four hostages, but unconfirmed Hamas claims 274 Palestinians were killed. And Cindy McCain said two WFP warehouses in Gaza were “rocketed”, injuring one staff member.
Sunday’s UN announcement of the suspension of shipments was the latest setback for a US sea route set up to try to deliver more aid to Gaza’s starving population.
USAID called the pause a move to allow the humanitarian community in Gaza to conduct a safety check. USAID is working with the World Food Programme and its humanitarian partners in Gaza to distribute food and other aid from the US-operated pier.
Worked for less than a month
Completed in mid-May, the US-operated pier operated for only a week before being knocked out of service by a storm for a fortnight. After repairs, it was back in operation on Saturday, delivering 1.1 million pounds (492 metric tonnes) of food and other aid, after which McCain said her agency was suspending its humanitarian efforts in the area.
The UN agency did not provide further details, including how long the pause would last. WFP officials did not respond to a request for more details.
Asked about the pier operation during an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation” McCain said: “Right now we’re paused.” McCain said, without elaboration:
“I’m concerned about the safety of our people after the incident yesterday. Two of our warehouses, the warehouse complex were rocketed yesterday.We’ve stepped back for the moment. We want to make sure that we’re on safe terms and on safe ground before we restart. But the rest of the country is operational. We’re doing … everything we can in the north and the south.”
In a statement to The Associated Press, the US Agency for International Development said it is working with other US government officials and humanitarian groups in Gaza “to ensure the safe and efficient resumption of aid transport following the completion of security screening currently being conducted by the humanitarian community.”
Following the suspension of the pier, the US military resumed parachuting humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip. Overnight, US Central Command reported dropping 10 metric tonnes of food using transport aircraft.
