The Israeli government is threatened with a breaking point. Benny Gantz, minister in the war cabinet, is putting pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a threat. Meanwhile, another dead hostage was recovered.
Benny Gantz, a minister in Israel’s war cabinet, has threatened to quit the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. If the head of government does not present a plan for the post-war order in the Gaza Strip by June 8th, he and other members of his National Union party would leave the cabinet, the politician said on Saturday evening in Tel Aviv.
The 64-year-old joined Netanyahu’s government as a minister without portfolio and a member of the war cabinet after the unprecedented attack by Hamas and other terrorist groups on October 7th. In doing so, those involved wanted to send a signal of unity. The center party National Union, led by Gantz, is in opposition. In opinion polls, she is currently well ahead of Netanyahu’s Likud party.
Netanyahu has been in power since the end of 2022 together with right-wing extremist and ultra-religious parties. So far, he has refused to present a plan for the administration and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip after the end of the war in order not to offend his ultra-right coalition partners. They pursue unrealistic goals such as building Jewish settlements in Gaza, but Netanyahu’s political survival depends on them. If Gantz were to carry out his threat and leave the government, it could provoke a government crisis.
Israeli forces apparently recover the body of another hostage
Meanwhile, the Israeli army says it has recovered the body of another Israeli hostage from the Gaza Strip. Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Saturday that 53-year-old Ron Benjamin was “murdered” during the Islamist Hamas’ major attack on Israel on October 7 and then kidnapped to the Gaza Strip. Benjamin’s body was discovered along with the bodies of the three hostages, whose recovery was announced on Friday, Hagari said.
On Friday evening, the army spokesman announced the rescue of three dead hostages – the German-Israeli Shani Louk, Amit Buskila and Itzhak Gelerenter. The three were “taken hostage in the Hamas massacre on October 7th,” “brutally murdered” as they fled the Nova music festival, and their bodies were taken to the Gaza Strip.
“There is nothing with which we can take revenge”: This is how Shani Louk’s brother comments on her murder
02:53 min
The attack by Hamas and other terrorist groups, which killed 1,200 people and kidnapped another 250 into the Gaza Strip, sparked the Gaza War. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive. However, Israel has now come under international criticism because of the high number of civilian casualties and the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Many in the country complain that the war has not brought a decisive victory, even after more than seven months. The fact that more than 100 hostages are still in the hands of Hamas is also causing criticism of the government.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
