Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked opposition leader Bennie Gantz to reconsider its decision to leave the emergency government formed in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attacks.
“Israel is engaged in an existential war on several fronts. Benny, this is not the time to stop the campaign – this is the time to join forces,” Netanyahu said in a message on the social platform X, as Gantz announced his decision to resign from the war cabinet.
Netanyahu vowed in his statement to continue the war against Hamas, Gaza’s ruling body, despite the centrist leader’s departure.
“Citizens of Israel, we will continue until victory and achieve all the goals of the war, first and foremost the release of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas,” Netanyahu said.
“My door will remain open to any Zionist party that is willing to crawl under the stretcher and help achieve victory over our enemies and ensure the safety of our citizens.”
Gantz, a former military chief, has become increasingly critical of Netanyahu’s government since the start of the war and threatened to resign from his post three weeks ago if Netanyahu’s government did not adopt a new plan to end the war in Gaza . He set June 8 as the deadline.
Announcing his decision to leave the government, Gantz said Sunday that Netanyahu “makes total victory impossible” and that the country must prioritize the return of the hostages “over political survival,” The Associated Press reported.
The announcement comes a day after Israeli forces rescued four hostages in the largest mission since the start of the war.
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