Israel PM’s Ally Ben Gvir Resigns Over Gaza Ceasefire

Jerusalem: Israeli hardline minister Itamar Ben Gvir resigned from the Benjamin Netanyahu government on Sunday due to opposition to a ceasefire deal with Hamas in Gaza. The resignation came after the party of Israel's National Security Minister, Jewish Power, announced its Cabinet ministers would leave the government in protest against the agreement. According to National News Agency - Lebanon, the departure of the Jewish Power party does not topple Netanyahu's coalition nor affect the ceasefire deal itself. However, the resignation of Ben Gvir highlights a destabilizing factor within the coalition. The Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) party criticized the ceasefire agreement, calling it a "capitulation to Hamas" and condemning the "release of hundreds of murderers" and the "renouncing of the Israeli military's achievements during the war" in Gaza. Despite their departure, the party stated it would not attempt to dismantle Netanyahu's government. Ben Gvir had previously warned that his party would leave Prime M inister Netanyahu's ruling coalition if the cabinet approved the hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas. Nonetheless, he indicated that the party might consider rejoining should hostilities resume. Hamas has listed the three hostages it intends to release on Sunday, potentially paving the way for the commencement of the Gaza ceasefire after a delay. Prior to this, Israel had maintained that it would continue military operations in Gaza until the names were provided as per the agreement. The ceasefire's initiation was delayed by over two hours. There was no immediate response from Israel following the publication of the names by Hamas' armed wing on social media. The conflict, which began on October 7, 2023, has resulted in over 46,000 casualties in Gaza, with hundreds of Israeli soldiers also losing their lives in the confrontations within the strip.