Israeli minister says he will leave military cabinet if Prime Minister of Israel fails to agree on new Gaza plan.
During a press conference on Saturday, Israeli Military Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz threatened to resign if prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu fails to pass an agreed plan for Gaza, putting the future of the Israeli government in doubt.
The press conference came just hours after the Israel Defence Forces said it had found the body of another hostage, 53-year-old Ron Benjamin, who was taking part in a bike ride near the border with the Gaza Strip Hamas launched a bloody attack on October 7. His body was found along with three other hostages who were recovered on Friday.
Gantz, a long-time political rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has now drawn up a six-point plan that includes demilitarisation in Gaza and the creation of a joint US, European, Arab and Palestinian administration to manage Gaza’s civil affairs and the return of hostages. If the plan is not adopted by 8 June, he will leave the government.
As a result, Benny Gantz’s step will only deepen the rift within Israel’s leadership more than seven months after the war began, as the government with Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to negotiate a hostage exchange even despite prolonged protests and discontent from residents.
Gantz’s departure will make Netanyahu even more beholden to far-right allies who have taken a hard line on ceasefire and hostage negotiations and who believe Israel should occupy the Gaza Strip and rebuild Jewish settlements there.
After the conflict began on 7 October, when Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 254 hostages, Israel launched preparations for a counter-offensive that has resulted in more than 35,000 deaths and sparked international criticism of the Israel Army’s military actions, even from its main ally, the United States.
Of special relevance are the aftermath of the war in Gaza, which is also being debated. For months, Netanyahu has dodged questions about what happens after the war, saying Israel should focus on destroying Hamas.
The prime minister’s supporters in his government want the military offensive on Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah to move forward to crush Hamas. But the US and others have warned against an offensive on the city, which shelters more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, because hundreds of thousands have already fled Rafah and the offensive threatens more casualties.
Gaza is also facing famine due to a lack of sufficient humane supplies even though humanitarian aid has begun to flow through the US-built pier. The US humanitarian chief said the new sea corridor could not replace land crossings and warned that food and fuel supplies had slowed to dangerously low levels.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is in Saudi Arabia and Israel this weekend to discuss the war. He is scheduled to meet today, on Sunday, with Netanyahu, who also says Israel will stand alone if necessary.
