The Israeli public security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, announced on Tuesday that he would leave the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the latter agrees to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages, as negotiated in Qatar.
Ben-Gvir, whose departure would not bring down the government, also called on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to join him in opposing a potential ceasefire agreement, which he described as a “dangerous capitulation” to Hamas.
Smotrich, on the other hand, expressed opposition to the agreement on Monday, but did not threaten to leave the coalition government. Ben-Gvir echoed Smotrich’s sentiments, saying that Israel should continue its military campaign in the Gaza Strip until the militant Palestinian group Hamas surrenders completely.
It is expected that most ministers will support the step-by-step ceasefire agreement, which envisions a halt to hostilities and the release of hostages.
In the first phase of the agreement, 33 hostages are to be released, including children, women, and others, including soldiers, men over 50, the wounded, and the sick. Israel assumes that most of the hostages are still alive, but has not received official confirmation from Hamas.
In exchange for the hostage release, Israel will release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from its prisons, including those serving long sentences for deadly attacks.
The Israeli Defense Forces’ (IDF) withdrawal from Gaza will be gradual, with Israeli forces remaining in the border area to defend Israeli border towns and villages. Unarmed residents of the northern Gaza Strip are expected to be allowed to return, with a mechanism in place to prevent the introduction of weapons. Israeli troops will also withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor in the center of the Gaza Strip.