KEYSTONE
Benny Gantz and his National Unity party leave the Israeli government, with heavy accusations against Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu who for political convenience, in his opinion, “prevents real victory” in the war in Gaza, nor does he have a plan for what will happen after the end of the conflict, an essential condition for him to remain in the executive. And he calls for new elections.
Speaking on live TV, the former general said he had made this decision “with a heavy heart”. «Netanyahu prevents us from moving towards true victory», he attacked. “Strategic decisions are approached with procrastination and hesitation due to political considerations.”
«After October 7, as hundreds of thousands of patriotic Israelis did, we made ourselves available. We did it even though we knew it was bad government. Precisely because we knew it was a bad government.” But now, he says, things have changed.
«The State of Israel needs and can achieve a real victory – he explained -. A true victory puts the return of the abductees home above survival in power. A true victory combines military success with political and civil initiative. A real victory will lead to the collapse of Hamas and its replacement. A real victory is to bring the inhabitants of the north home safely. A real victory is to establish a US-led regional alliance against Iran with the entire Western world.”
The decision weakens, but does not end the government
Gantz’s decision – it was supposed to be announced yesterday, but was postponed after the release of the 4 hostages held in Nuseirat – weakens but does not cause the end of the Netanyahu government, which still has the numbers to continue in the Knesset. The centrist leader, immediately after the announcement, called for elections as soon as possible, stating that the plan offered by the US president must be implemented in Gaza Joe Biden.
On X the prime minister instead asked him “not to abandon the battle”. But the minister is super hawkish Itamar Ben-Gvir he has already asked to replace Gantz in the war cabinet.
Nearly 300 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli raid
Meanwhile, Israel today celebrated the release of the 4 prisoners, even though in the raid, according to Hamas, 274 Palestinians were killed, including many civilians (a circumstance confirmed by the United States), women and children. The Islamic movement itself said that three other hostages were killed in the raid, but there has been no independent confirmation of this.
According to the IDF, three of the four freed men were held prisoner in the house of a Palestinian journalist who worked for Al Jazeera, Abdullah Jamal, a Hamas operative. The broadcaster’s activities in Israel have meanwhile been banned for another 45 days.
The father of a hostage “died of pain”
And it was supposed to be a day of joy for Almog Meir Janone of the 4 Israeli hostages freed but it turned into yet another drama: his father, who had been gradually fading away from the torment since the day of his kidnapping, died a few hours before his son was taken to safety.
The family has no doubts: “He died of pain.” The aunt of the freed hostage, Dinatold Kan public television that she rushed to her brother’s house to give him the good news, only to find him dead. Yossi Jan57 years old, during the long months of his son’s imprisonment he had withdrawn into himself, losing 20 kilos.
The Israeli army does not stop in Gaza
However, the IDF continues to operate in Gaza. In particular, we read in a note, troops of the 198th Division are fighting in the city of Deir al Balah and in the Bureij refugee camp, after taking part in the liberation of four hostages.
In the southern area of Rafah, however, the 162nd Division is in action, conducting operations based on intelligence information and has located several tunnels and vertical conduits and large quantities of weapons, explosives and military equipment.
The 99th Division operates in the center of Gaza, with the task of dismantling terrorist infrastructure. In southern Gaza City, several mortar shells were fired at Israeli troops from the Islamic University of the capital city, without injuring anyone.
SDA
