Netanyahu urges war cabinet minister Gantz not to quit after ultimatum

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested war cabinet minister Benny Gantz not to step down after Gantz threatened to resign due to the lack of a post-war strategy for Gaza.

Last month, Gantz had announced his intention to leave the emergency body if Netanyahu failed to approve a post-war plan for Gaza by June 8.

“I call on Benny Gantz — do not leave the emergency government. Don’t give up on unity,” Netanyahu stated on the social media platform X.

Following the Israeli military’s announcement that security forces had rescued four captives alive from Gaza earlier in the day, Gantz canceled a scheduled news conference.

Although he did not directly address rumors of his potential resignation, Gantz appeared on Israeli television on Saturday evening, emphasizing the ongoing challenges Israel faces.

“Alongside the justified joy over this achievement, it should not be forgotten that all the challenges Israel is facing… have remained as they were,” Gantz said. “Therefore, I say to the prime minister and the entire leadership — today, too, we must look responsibly at what is right and how we can continue from here.”

Last week, Gantz’s centrist National Union Party proposed a bill to dissolve the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and hold early elections. Gantz is seen as a strong contender to form a coalition if Netanyahu’s government falls and early elections are called.

Before joining the war cabinet, the former army chief was one of Netanyahu’s main rivals. This week, Gantz reiterated that returning captives from Gaza was a “priority.”

The army announced that Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, were rescued from central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp on Saturday.

According to the military, the four had been captured by Hamas militants during the October 7 attack on the Nova music festival. They have since been taken to the hospital and are reportedly in “good medical condition.”

During the October 7 attack on southern Israel, militants took 251 captives, of whom 116 remain in Gaza, including 41 the army claims are dead. The attack allegedly resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people in Israel, mostly civilians, based on an AFP tally from official Israeli figures.

In response, Israel’s bombardments and ground offensive on Gaza have resulted in the deaths of 36,801 people, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.