Three far-right Israeli ministers have resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in protest against the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. The ministers who stepped down are Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, Minister of the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Yitzhak Wasserlauf, and Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu, all representing the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party.
In addition to the ministerial resignations, three lawmakers from Otzma Yehudit have also submitted their resignations from various committees in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. While this move may weaken Netanyahu’s coalition, it is not expected to lead to the collapse of his government.
The Otzma Yehudit party issued a statement declaring that they are no longer part of the coalition due to their opposition to the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. They have criticized the deal as a “surrender” and described it as reckless, citing concerns about the release of convicted murderers and the withdrawal of IDF forces from Gaza.
Another far-right minister in Netanyahu’s coalition, Bezalel Smotrich, has expressed his opposition to the ceasefire but has not resigned. Smotrich, who serves as the minister of finance, has threatened to step down if Israel does not resume military action after the initial phase of the truce concludes.
