Benny Gantz, a leading member of Israel's war cabinet, resigned from the emergency government on Sunday over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the Gaza war, saying Netanyahu was “hindering our progress towards real victory.”
Gantz, a centrist who last month warned he would resign if Netanyahu did not address his concerns about ending the war and its aftermath, said his party was leaving the emergency government “with a heavy but complete heart”.
The move is unlikely to force Netanyahu to step down, and his government still has a slim majority in Israel's parliament. But Gantz's resignation exposes rifts within Israel's leadership amid growing frustration over its failure to decisively defeat Hamas after the Oct. 7 terror attacks in southern Israel and to bring home all hostages held in Gaza. Netanyahu has also faced international criticism as destruction and civilian casualties in Gaza mount.
Gantz last month set a Saturday deadline for Netanyahu to answer a range of questions, including a plan for the return of the Gaza hostages. He had planned to hold a news conference on Saturday but postponed it after Israeli authorities announced the rescue of four hostages.
In a televised address on Sunday evening, Gantz outlined his view of a “real victory,” which he said would include prioritizing the return of the hostages over political survival — an apparent criticism of the prime minister. He also said a real victory would involve a combination of “military success” and diplomatic efforts to defeat Hamas and form a replacement government.
One of the most notable differences between Gantz and Netanyahu is over plans for the future governance of Gaza. Critics say Netanyahu has failed to present a coherent plan for who will run Gaza and how after the war ends. Gantz has called for the establishment of an administrative body to oversee civilian affairs, with U.S., European, Arab and Palestinian support.
Gantz on Sunday particularly praised Defense Minister Yoav Galant, a member of Netanyahu's party and sometimes a vocal critic of the prime minister, urging him to “not just say the right thing, but do the right thing,” although it was not immediately clear what he meant.
Prime Minister Netanyahu responded to Gantz's remarks by urging him to remain in government.
“Israel is locked in an existential war on multiple fronts. Benny, now is not the time to give up the fight. It is time to join forces,” he wrote to X. “My door remains open to any Zionist party willing to help carry the stretcher and bring victory to the enemy and ensure the safety of our people.”
Gantz's withdrawal from the war cabinet will limit his influence over the war but it allows him to position himself as a challenger to Netanyahu ahead of upcoming elections, a move critics say he should have made months ago.
After the Hamas-led attacks in October, Gantz's party joined the emergency government in what was seen as a show of unity during the crisis. Gantz and another member of his party, Gadi Eisenkot, joined the powerful war cabinet, a mini-body that makes key decisions about the conflict. (Eisenkot was a non-voting member of the war cabinet but resigned on Sunday.) Gantz's experience as a former chief of staff and defense minister, and his status as a popular opposition figure seen as a potential future prime minister, gave the cabinet credibility.
But as the war dragged on, a rift developed between Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gantz, who called on his war cabinet to approve plans for the return of hostages, the future governance of the Gaza Strip, the return of displaced people and a push for normalisation of diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia.
“If we choose the path of fanatics and drag the country into the abyss, we will be forced to leave the government,” he said at a televised press conference on May 18.
Following Saturday's rescue and Gantz's delayed remarks, Netanyahu appeared hopeful that Gantz would remain in the emergency government. The safe return of the four hostages sparked celebrations among Israelis but only highlighted the difficulty of rescuing some 120 more through military action alone.
Netanyahu has rejected the Biden administration's view that the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, should somehow help run Gaza — a view echoed by Gantz. And Netanyahu has not publicly embraced the ceasefire proposal backed by Biden, which Israeli officials say is broadly consistent with the proposal approved by the War Cabinet. (Hamas has not publicly responded to the proposal.)
But Gantz has been one of the most prominent voices calling for the release of the hostages and a ceasefire agreement. His moderate stance has helped bolster his government's international credibility. Without his party, the prime minister's government would be made up of his right-wing Likud, two far-right parties and two ultra-Orthodox Jewish factions.
Analysts say Gantz's resignation could embolden far-right ministers in Netanyahu's coalition government, led by Itamar Bengvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who have warned they would topple the government if Netanyahu goes ahead with his latest ceasefire proposal.
Natan Sachs, director of the Brookings Institution's Center for Middle East Policy, said Gantz's decision was a “dangerous move” to remove moderate voices from Netanyahu's government.
“This strengthens the power of the far right. Within the war cabinet, it may weaken the chances of an agreement to release the hostages,” he said. “There are now two important voices in favor of an agreement.”
Aaron Boxerman and Jonathan Rice Contributed report.
