Netanyahu asks Gantz not to resign from Israel’s War Cabinet

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked opposition leader Benny Gantz to reconsider his decision to leave the emergency government, which was formed in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7.

“Israel is in an existential war on several fronts. Benny, this is not the time to abandon the campaign — this is the time to join forces,” Netanyahu said in a post on the social platform X, as Gantz was announcing his decision to resign from the War Cabinet.

Netanyahu, in his statement, pledged to press on in the war against Hamas, the governing body of Gaza, despite the departure of the centrist leader.

“Citizens of Israel, we will continue until victory and the achievement of all the goals of the war, primarily the release of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas,” Netanyahu said.

“My door will remain open to any Zionist party that is ready to get under the stretcher and assist in bringing victory over our enemies and ensuring the safety of our citizens.”

Gantz, a former military chief, has grown increasingly critical of Netanyahu’s government since the war began and threatened to resign from his post three weeks ago if Netanyahu’s government did not adopt a new plan for the end of the war in Gaza. He set June 8 as his deadline.

In announcing his decision to leave the government, Gantz said Sunday that Netanyahu is making “total victory impossible” and that the country must prioritize returning the hostages “above political survival,” The Associated Press reported.

The announcement comes a day after Israeli forces rescued four hostages in the largest such mission since the war began.