Two far-right Israeli ministers have threatened to quit and break up the ruling coalition if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agrees to a Gaza ceasefire proposal unveiled by U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday.
Finance Minister Bezarel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said they opposed any deal until Hamas was destroyed.
But opposition leader Yair Lapid pledged to back the government if Netanyahu supports the plan.
The prime minister himself insists there will be no permanent truce until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities are destroyed and all hostages released.
Biden’s three-part proposal would begin with a six-week ceasefire that would see the Israel Defense Forces withdraw from Gaza’s densely populated areas. The deal will ultimately lead to the release of all hostages, a permanent “cessation of hostilities” and major reconstruction plans for Gaza.
But Smotrich posted on social media on Saturday that he told Netanyahu that he “will not be the one to agree to the proposed outline and end the war without destroying Hamas and bringing back all the hostages.” part of the government”.
Mr Ben-Gweil echoed his words, saying “this agreement… means the end of the war and the abandonment of the goal of destroying Hamas. It is a reckless agreement that constitutes a victory for terrorism and poses a threat to national security” ”. Israel”.
He vowed to “disband the government” rather than agree to the proposal.
Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition holds a slim majority in parliament, relying on a range of factions, including Mr Bengvir’s Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, which has six seats, and Mr Smotrich’s Religious Zionism Nationalist Party (with seven seats) to maintain power.
But Yair Lapid, one of Israel’s most influential opposition politicians, was quick to offer his support to the embattled prime minister. His Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party has 24 seats.
He said Mr Netanyahu “had a safety net to handle the hostage deal if Ben Gvir and Smotrich left the government”.
The row came as tens of thousands rallied in Tel Aviv to call on the Israeli government to accept Biden’s plan. They also called for Mr Netanyahu to resign. Scuffles broke out between protesters and police, and some demonstrators were reportedly detained.
In a joint statement on Saturday, mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States urged Israel and Hamas to “finalize” the deal proposed by Biden.
Officials said that “as mediators in the ongoing discussions to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and release hostages and detainees,” they “call on Hamas and Israel to finalize an agreement that embodies the principles outlined by President Joe Biden.”
British Prime Minister Sunak also expressed support for the plan, telling reporters that if Hamas accepted the ceasefire plan, the British government might provide “more assistance to Gaza.”
Earlier, a senior Hamas politician told the BBC that if Israel did so, it “would support the deal”.
But Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Saturday that Israel’s “conditions for ending the war have not changed.”
It listed these as “destroying Hamas’s military and governance capabilities, releasing all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel”.
The statement added that Israel would “continue to insist that these conditions be met” before agreeing to a permanent ceasefire.
Elsewhere, fighting continued in Rafah on Saturday, with reports of Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gaza city on the border with Egypt.
Shelling and shooting were also reported in Gaza City in northern Palestinian territory.
More than 36,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 252 people back to Gaza as hostages.
