Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz threatened to quit if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not advance a plan for postwar Gaza by June 8. If Gantz quits, Netanyahu’s coalition would collapse, prompting early elections.
Gantz’s demands are sixfold: demilitarize Gaza and prioritize the release of Israeli hostages remaining in the territory, return an estimated 60,000 Israeli civilians to their homes near the Lebanese border by September, advance a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, form a Palestinian governing body in Gaza with Western and Arab oversight, and end military service exemptions for Orthodox Jews.
The announcement marks the second such critique of Netanyahu in days, following a speech last week by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Gallant, Gantz, and Netanyahu compose Israel’s three-person war cabinet, formed in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. See updates on the war.
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