TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Just hours after the Gaza ceasefire agreement came into effect, the right-wing Otzma Yehudit party officially quit Israel’s coalition government, following through on its threat to pull out if the ceasefire deal with Hamas went into effect, Al Mayadeen reported.
Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, and Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf all submitted their resignation letters to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The party issued a statement confirming that Otzma Yehudit is effectively no longer part of the coalition.
In his resignation letter to Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir acknowledged the “significant achievements” during the prime minister’s tenure, but criticized the ceasefire deal as a “surrender to terror” that “crosses all ideological red lines.”
He argued that the ceasefire was a “total victory for terrorism” and stated that his party would no longer support the government on ideological issues.
"We will not return to the government table without a complete victory against Hamas and the full realization of the war's goals," Ben-Gvir stressed.
The deal is "reckless"
Ben-Gvir announced on Thursday that his party, Otzma Yehudit, would leave the coalition government if a recently brokered ceasefire deal with Hamas is approved.
At the time, Ben-Gvir sharply criticized the deal, describing it as "reckless" and claiming that it included concessions that undermined the achievements of the Israeli occupation.
"The agreement involves the release of hundreds of murderers, the return of hundreds of thousands of Gazans to the northern sector, including thousands of terrorists, the withdrawal from the Philadelphia Route, and a ceasefire," he said.
According to Ben-Gvir, the deal "ends all the achievements we have made for the country and does not guarantee the release of all hostages."
Emphasizing his party's position, Ben-Gvir said that Otzma Yehudit, under his leadership, "is not toppling Netanyahu or cooperating with the left and its goals against the government. However, we cannot remain part of a government that agrees to a deal that gives significant rewards to Hamas and risks another disaster like October 7."
Netanyahu has recently faced increasing internal pressure over the ceasefire deal. His main right-wing allies have expressed strong opposition to the deal even though it would remove prisoners from Gaza.
Ben-Gvir has repeatedly publicly rejected the deal.
Threatens to overthrow government
Right-wing Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened Sunday to overthrow the government if it does not occupy the Gaza Strip, the Anadolu news agency reported.
The extremist minister called the Gaza ceasefire deal a "very serious mistake" and "a surrender to Hamas."
Israel "must occupy Gaza and form an interim military government because there is no other way to defeat Hamas," Smotrich told Army Radio.
"I will overthrow the government if they do not return to war in a way that [makes us] take over the entire Gaza Strip and rule it."
Earlier, right-wing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced his party's withdrawal from the ruling coalition following the Gaza ceasefire.
Following Ben-Gvir's party's withdrawal, the ruling coalition remains with 62 parliamentary seats in the 120-seat Knesset.
On Saturday, 24 ministers in the government approved the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal while eight rejected it.
Former Israeli general: Hamas is the winner
After 470 days of relentless attacks on Gaza, aimed at eliminating the Palestinian resistance, Former IOF Major General Giora Eiland admitted that the war ended in a "major failure for Israel" and declared Hamas the winner.
Speaking to Channel 7 on Saturday night, Eiland said that Israel had failed to achieve its goals. "Hamas will recover from the heavy blow it suffered, not all the hostages will return, and Israel will not eliminate Hamas' authority," he said, echoing previous criticism of the war's outcome.
Tel Aviv protests over prisoner swap deal
Ahead of the ceasefire, Tel Aviv faced widespread protests by settlers opposing the prisoner swap deal. Protesters clashed with police, who used water cannons to disperse the crowds.
According to Israeli media, the protesters expressed their anger over the deal and demanded its cancellation. They argued that the deal "will free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, erase the war's achievements, and pave the way for another attack similar to October 7."
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