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Photo: Press Service of the Government of Israel
Several Israeli ministers disagree with the terms of the ceasefire with Hamas
Three Israeli ministers, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, resigned in protest of the deal with Hamas. The far-right Otzma Yehudit party withdrew from the ruling coalition.
Three Israeli ministers have resigned in protest over Israel's stalled truce with the Palestinian radical group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. All three are representatives of the far-right Otzma Ehudit ("Jewish Power") party, The Times of Israel reports.
The report states that the leader of Otzma Ehud, Israel's Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of "crossing all ideological red lines," calling the agreement with Hamas "a complete victory for terrorism." Ben-Gvir also said that such an agreement "creates the conditions for future kidnappings."
Ben-Gvir's party colleagues - Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and Minister of Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Yitzhak Wasserlauf - have resigned. The party also announced its withdrawal from the ruling coalition.
The statement speaks of a readiness to return if military action against the Hamas group resumes and "continues until complete victory."
Finance Minister and Religious Zionist Party leader Bezalel Smotrich also criticized the truce. However, after meeting with Netanyahu, Smotrich promised not to leave the government for now, but threatened to do so if the government decides to move to the second phase of the truce. Smotrich's departure from the government could lead to early elections in Israel, Israeli media reported.
The day before, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the war with Hamas could resume if the second phase of the peace agreement fails.
