The decision comes after the resignation of a centrist member of the body, former Defense Minister Benny Gantz
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has disbanded the war cabinet responsible for overseeing the conflict in Gaza. This decision follows the resignation of a key member, retired general Benny Gantz, from the emergency government, according to media reports. The prime minister reportedly made this announcement to ministers during a cabinet meeting on Sunday.
Gantz, a former defense minister without portfolio who joined the war cabinet shortly after the start of the conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas last October, announced his resignation earlier this month, citing disagreements with Netanyahu’s policies.
”The cabinet was part of the coalition agreement with [National Unity MK Benny] Gantz at his request. Since Gantz has left, there is no longer a need for a cabinet,” Netanyahu stated, according to local media.
The prime minister is now expected to hold consultations regarding the Gaza conflict with a smaller group of ministers, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who were members of the war cabinet.
Shortly after Gantz’s resignation, another minister without portfolio, former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, also resigned from the cabinet, where he served as one of three observers. Another observer, Knesset member Yechiel Tropper, made the same announcement.
Both Gantz and Eisenkot cited Netanyahu’s failure to develop a strategy for the war in Gaza as the reason for their resignations.
During the government meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu reportedly stated, “in order to achieve the goal of eliminating Hamas’s capabilities, [I] made decisions that were not always acceptable to the military echelon,” adding, “we have a country with an army and not an army with a country.”
The war cabinet was established on October 11, just days after the Israeli-Hamas war began following the Palestinian militant group’s surprise attack on southern Israel, resulting in over 1,000 deaths and around 250 hostages. The cabinet was chaired by Netanyahu and included Gantz and Gallant, along with three observers – Dermer, Eisenkot, and Shas party leader Aryeh Deri.