Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has announced his resignation from the emergency government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a televised speech on Sunday, June 9, Gantz said, “With a heavy heart, I officially announce my withdrawal from the government.”
“Netanyahu is preventing us from moving towards real victory,” he added.
Gantz called on Netanyahu to set an agreed upon date for holding early elections in Israel, adding, “There must be elections that bring about a true national Zionist unity government.”
The resignation comes after Gantz set a June 8 deadline for Netanyahu to lay out a new plan for the war against Hamas.
On Saturday, June 8, Netanyahu called on Gantz to remain in the coalition, saying, “This is the time for unity and not for division.”
“We must remain united within ourselves in the face of the great tasks before us,” Netanyahu wrote in a post on X. “I call on Benny Gantz — do not leave the emergency government. Don’t give up on unity.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have been waging a devastating war on Gaza Strip, leaving more than 36,700 deaths and 83,530 injured, causing massive infrastructure destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
