Israeli minister vows to overthrow government over Gaza ceasefire

2025-01-20 08:08:00

(MENAFN) Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right figure, vowed on Sunday to overthrow the government if it did not take action to occupy the Gaza Strip. He criticized the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, calling it a “very serious mistake” and a “surrender to Hamas.”

Smotrich said, “Israel must occupy Gaza and create a temporary military government because there is no other way to defeat Hamas,” adding that he would work to overthrow the government if it did not resume military actions to take full control of Gaza.

The ceasefire, which began at 11:15 AM local time (09:15 GMT) on Sunday after several hours' delay, also included a prisoner exchange. Smotrich’s comments came after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, another far-right figure, announced his party’s withdrawal from the ruling coalition in response to the ceasefire.

Despite Ben-Gvir’s departure, the ruling coalition retains a majority with 62 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.

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