He said Netanyahu is “preventing us from progressing towards a true victory.”
Centrist Israeli minister Benny Gantz announced Sunday that he was resigning from the emergency government because of what he has described as a lack of a plan from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the “day after” in Gaza.
During a televised news conference, Gantz announced he was resigning from the coalition government, taking with him his State Party and the seats it held in the Knesset. Netanyahu’s coalition government will still retain a majority, but the move by Gantz is considered a major blow to the prime minister.
“Netanyahu is preventing us from progressing towards a true victory,” Gantz said. “For this reason, we are leaving the emergency government today, with a heavy heart, yet wholeheartedly.”
He also called on Netanyahu to set a date for elections.
Gantz was set to make the announcement on Saturday but called it off amid the news of an Israel Defense Forces operation in Gaza that led to the rescue of four Israeli hostages.
Gantz is a member of Israel’s three-member war Cabinet, which includes Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
On Saturday, Netanyahu appealed to Gantz on X, 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. I call on Benny Gantz — do not leave the emergency government. Don’t give up on unity.”
In May, Gantz issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu, saying he would resign if the prime minister did not approve a post-war plan by June 8, saying at the time, “While the Israeli soldiers show supreme bravery on the front, some of the men who sent them into battle behave with cowardice and irresponsibility.”
As the Israel-Hamas war nears the nine-month mark, negotiations are apparently stalled to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas , and Israeli forces continue to launch incursions in the southern Gazan town of Rafah ahead of a possible large-scale invasion.
3 hostages, including American, killed in raid: Hamas
The Hamas military wing claimed in a statement Sunday that three hostages, including an American citizen, were killed in Saturday’s rescue operation in central Gaza that was carried out by the Israel Defense Forces with US help.
The IDF told ABC News on Sunday it had no knowledge of hostage deaths occurring during Saturday’s raid on the Nuseirat refugee camp, in which four hostages were rescued.
In its statement, Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades accused the Israeli government of being untruthful about the circumstances of the raid.
“In exchange for them, your own army killed three of your own captives in the same attack; one of them holds an American citizenship,” the Al-Qassam Brigades statement said. “Time is running out. Your government is lying.”
A White House National Security Council spokesperson said Sunday they have “seen nothing to corroborate” the claims that three other hostages, including an American, were killed during the raid.
“We have seen nothing to corroborate these claims. We are of course continuing to assess the claims,” the spokesperson told ABC News.
At least 274 people , mainly women and children were killed when the Israeli military with help from the United States moved into the Nuseirat camp to rescue hostages, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Sunday. Israel’s military claimed no more than 100 civilians were killed in the operation.
US helped in rescue operation
The United States provided support to the Israeli security forces raid that rescued four living hostages from captivity in Gaza on Saturday, two U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News. The U.S. military did not participate in the operation, a U.S. official said.
In a statement issued by the White House, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan congratulated Israeli security forces on the successful operation and made an oblique reference to U.S. support for all efforts to release hostages still held by Hamas including through “ongoing negotiations or other means.”
CBS News learned on Saturday that the U.S. role came mainly in the form of intelligence support. Two U.S. officials confirmed that, but declined to share sensitive details regarding the operation. One Israeli special operator lost his life in the rescue operation, and 274 Palestinians were killed.
The Biden administration has had a major effort underway since Oct. 7 providing support to Israel on hostage issues including diplomatic, intelligence and, at times, military support. The U.S. has previously acknowledged providing overhead surveillance support to help locate hostages.
Video circulating online Saturday shows an IDF helicopter taking off from the beach with the U.S. pier in the backdrop. Two U.S. officials told CBS News that the U.S. pier was not used in the IDF operation. It is offshore to assist delivery of humanitarian aid. A U.S. official explained that the helicopter landed south of the facility on a beach but not within the cordoned area of the pier.
“The pier facility was not used in the operation to rescue hostages today in Gaza. An area south of the facility was used to safely return the hostages to Israel,” a U.S. official said. “Any such claim to the contrary is false. The temporary pier on the coast of Gaza was put in place for one purpose only, to help get more urgently needed lifesaving assistance into Gaza.”
But according to witnesses the US has been mainly using the port to deliver weapons to Israel that are being shipped by sea . Some of the ships were prevented from docking in Spain on the way to the port in Gaza . Very little aid has been shipped to the people in Gaza according to witnesses
- ABC / CBS/YL
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