By Abdelraouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM (AA) – Frustrated by what he sees as the government’s rudderless Gaza conflict, Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz is expected to announce his resignation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government on Saturday evening.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported Friday that Gantz's office confirmed he will make a statement on Saturday evening.
“He is expected to announce his withdrawal from the government,” the broadcaster said.
Gantz's deadline for Prime Minister Netanyahu to outline a clear war strategy on Gaza expires on Saturday evening.
The National Unity Party, led by Gantz, joined Netanyahu's government on Oct. 11 – just days after the Gaza war begin – forming an emergency government.
This move led to the creation of a smaller War Cabinet.
However, Gantz's resignation does not spell the end for Netanyahu's government, as Netanyahu already had the support of 64 of the 120 Knesset members when Gantz joined.
Forming a government requires the confidence of at least 61 Knesset members.
Gantz had demanded Netanyahu devise a strategy with six goals: the return of Israeli captives from Gaza, defeating Hamas, disarming Gaza, identifying an alternative to Hamas in Gaza, returning northern Israeli residents to their homes by Sept. 1, and advancing normalization with Saudi Arabia alongside adopting a military service plan for Israel.
Netanyahu has yet to announce such a strategy.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last Oct. 7 despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.
More than 36,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 83,500 others injured, according to local health authorities.
Eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio