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Rift in Israel’s war cabinet over postwar Gaza plan
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday night, Benny Gantz said he would step down from the war cabinet if a plan for installing a civilian administration in the Hamas-controlled territory wasn’t in place by June 8. His remarks followed similar criticism from Defense Minister Yoav Gallant last week, Politico reported.
“If you put the national over personal, you will find in us partners in the struggle,” Gantz warned Netanyahu. But he said if Netanyahu chooses the path of fanatics and leads the entire nation to the abyss, he will be forced to quit the cabinet.
Gantz, a former Israel Defense Forces general, has called for a six-point plan that includes demilitarization of Gaza, returning Israeli hostages and establishing multinational governance over the area, home to more than half a million Palestinians.
Netanyahu said Gantz’s demands amounted to nothing more than “washed up words” that would mean “defeat for Israel.” The Israeli cabinet has stepped up its military campaign in Gaza, ordering troops into the southern city of Rafah despite pleas from the US, the EU and humanitarian organizations against a ground invasion of the city.
With the Israel-Hamas conflict now in its eighth month, concerns are growing that Netanyahu has no clear end goal in sight. Defense chief Gallant on Wednesday called on the prime minister to publicly confirm that Israel will not take over rule of the Gaza Strip militarily, but says he has received no response.
Meanwhile, Palestinian resistance forces in Gaza have stepped up their attacks against the Israeli targets inside the besieged territory. On Sunday, the armed wings of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas announced on Telegram that they destroyed a unit of Israeli special forces in the north Gaza refugee camp.
They said that the attack took place on Al-Albani Street in Jabalia.
Fierce fighting has been ongoing in Jabailia for the past several days after Israeli ground forces re-entered the area earlier in the week.
According to the UN, 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive last year following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that killed 1,139 Israelis.