Benny Gantz, the Israeli war cabinet minister, has stepped down from the emergency government, citing Prime Minister Netanyahu’s approach as a hindrance to a decisive victory.
In his resignation announcement on Sunday, Gantz emphasized the need for the government to prioritize the return of Israeli citizens above political considerations.
A centrist member of Israel’s three-person war Cabinet and former military chief, Gantz joined Netanyahu’s government shortly after the Hamas attack to demonstrate unity. His presence also bolstered Israel’s international credibility, given his strong working relationships with U.S. officials.
For the moment, Gantz’s departure will not affect Netanyahu’s position as he retains a majority in parliament.
Gantz had previously warned that he would resign by June 8 if Netanyahu failed to develop a new strategy for the post-war situation in Gaza.
He cancelled a scheduled news conference on Saturday evening following the rescue of four Israeli hostages earlier that day.
Israel reported that the hostages—three men and one woman—were freed in the largest such hostage recovery operation since the eight-month war began.
Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Shlomi Ziv, 41, and Andrey Kozlov, 27, were rescued from two separate locations in a complex daylight operation deep within Nuseirat in central Gaza. They had been held captive by Hamas for 246 days.
Gaza health officials reported that at least 274 Palestinians, including children, were killed in the Israeli assault.