Israeli Minister Suggests He Will Resign Due to Inability to Define a Strategy for the Gaza Strip
- Posted on May 19, 2024
- News
- By Arijit Dutta
- 130 Views
Israeli Defense Minister Gantz threatened to quit unless Netanyahu sets out a post-war plan for Gaza by June 8th, exposing rifts over whether to oust or contain Hamas.

An Israeli cabinet minister has warned to step down if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not develop a solution for Gaza after the war before June 8th.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz addressed the country on television on Saturday, setting the period until "strategic goals" must be achieved. Such a deal would include the end of the Hamas rule in Gaza, the establishment of a multinational civilian regime for the territory, the guarantee of the return of the Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas, and the resettlement of Palestinian civilians displaced by last year's events.
Gantz warned Netanyahu that he either had to choose between "Zionism and cynicism, unity and factions, responsibility and lawlessness or be defeated by the disaster.
This suggests an intensifying breach of trust among Netanyahu's senior officials over the actions in Gaza. Some members, and some far-right coalition partners, think that Israel must be the one to govern Gaza and that it’ll be the only way to destroy Hamas. Nevertheless, Gantz and others think that the creation of the civilian authority will create a greater risk for security, and it is better to choose the alternative way out.
Netanyahu described it as if Gantz was saying goodbye: a complete defeat for Israel that would leave Hamas as the ruler and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The discrepancy occurs despite clashes still ongoing in southern Rafah and the northern city of Jabalia. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are said to have been killed by Hamas officials who say that 35,000 Palestinians met their death, while the UN estimates that 800,000 people have fled Rafah under the Israeli bombardment. J. Sullivan, US National Security Advisor, is reported to have traveled to Israel to reiterate the United States stance on the Rafah military operation without a plan to evacuate civilians.