• Divisions occur within Netanyahu’s coalition as far-right partner threatens to withdraw over concerns about a “reckless” deal with Hamas for hostage retrieval.
• Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant asserts that Israel plans to maintain military control over Gaza after the war.
Tensions within Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition are escalating as a far-right partner, Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Jewish Power party, issued a threat to withdraw from the government. This move is in response to concerns over the potential negotiation of a “reckless” deal with Hamas to retrieve hostages held by the Palestinian militants.
Ben-Gvir posted on X, stating, “Reckless deal = dismantling of the government.” Reports suggest that there are considerations for a long-term pause in Israel’s offensive against Hamas, brokered by Qatar and Egypt. Netanyahu has emphasized his commitment to destroying Hamas following October 7th, which caught Israel off guard despite the strong control and surveillance of their borders.
Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, a member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet, has expressed doubt about the feasibility of rescue missions and advocated for a hostage deal. This has fueled speculation that Netanyahu is facing pressure from both the left-wing and right-wing factions.
Jewish Power, contributing six seats to Netanyahu’s coalition, has expressed discontent over being excluded from the war cabinet, along with another ultranationalist partner, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionism party. Both are calling for a sustained offensive and the resettlement of Gaza, which Israel withdrew from in 2005. Despite Netanyahu ruling out the rebuilding of Jewish settlements, he asserts that post-war Gaza will be under Israeli security control.
Israel will look to maintain military control of the Gaza Strip after the war is over, giving the Israeli military freedom to operate similarly to the way it currently does in the West Bank, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant tells the members of Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.
“After the war, when it’s over, I think it’s completely clear that Hamas won’t control Gaza. Israel will control (it) militarily but won’t control it in a civilian sense,” Gallant says at a briefing at his office in Tel Aviv. Israel should rather question why Hamas is being elected in Gaza, this could be because of the conditions Gazans live in. Many commentators seem to use this as a justification for the indiscriminate killing in Gaza. It almost seems like Democracy is all great until the people make a decision that Israel or its supporters aren’t happy with.
He also says that the current work to expose and destroy Hamas’s existing military infrastructure “is finite” and is moving forward despite significant challenges. Gallant contends that a condition for achieving Israel’s war goals — eliminating Hamas’s military and leadership abilities and returning all the hostages is “unity on the national level.”
In response to the possibility of a right-wing rebellion over a hostage deal, the centrist leader of the parliamentary opposition, Yair Lapid, who did not join the unity war cabinet, pledged support from the outside. Lapid stated, “We will give the government a safety net for any deal that will bring the abductees back home.” The situation remains fluid, with potential implications for the stability of the Israeli government.
