Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has warned that he will resign from the government if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approves a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, Channel 12 reported Thursday. “If the Prime Minister goes through with the deal, I will make difficult decisions and resign from the government. I told the prime minister that,” Smotrich, the far-right leader of the Religious Zionism party, reportedly told families of hostages. The remarks come as tensions mount over the government’s handling of negotiations with Hamas. A senior member of Israel’s negotiating team told re

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has warned that he will resign from the government if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approves a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, Channel 12 reported Thursday. “If the Prime Minister goes through with the deal, I will make difficult decisions and resign from the government. I told the prime minister that,” Smotrich, the far-right leader of the Religious Zionism party, reportedly told families of hostages. The remarks come as tensions mount over the government’s handling of negotiations with Hamas. A senior member of Israel’s negotiating team told relatives of hostages that officials are attempting to leverage what they view as Hamas’s weakened position in order to reach a more comprehensive agreement, while still keeping open the possibility of securing the narrower deal Hamas has already accepted. When pressed by a relative on whether such an outcome was realistic, the negotiator replied that it “also depends on Hamas.” Asked about the danger to the hostages amid ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza, the official acknowledged the risks, saying: “We are careful, but there is a risk to the hostages, [their safety] is not guaranteed.” The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has voiced frustration that Netanyahu has yet to convene the security cabinet to deliberate, even after Hamas agreed earlier this week to a partial hostage-release deal. Channel 12 reported that, for now, Netanyahu has decided not to respond to Hamas’s acceptance. Meanwhile, Times of Israel citing Kan public broadcaster, is reporting that former war cabinet member Benny Gantz, leader of the centrist Blue and White–National Unity party, is considering rejoining Netanyahu’s government in order to bolster support for a potential ceasefire and hostage-release deal. Gantz’s party joined Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and he became one of three voting members of the newly formed war cabinet. However, his faction withdrew from government in mid-2024 after policy disagreements with the prime minister. Now, National Unity is weighing a return as Netanyahu decides whether to accept a 60-day truce that would reportedly secure the release of 10 living hostages. Hamas has already agreed to the proposal, but Netanyahu’s cabinet has not yet met to discuss it. Netanyahu’s far-right coalition allies; National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Smotrich, remain staunchly opposed to a ceasefire, backing instead the government’s decision earlier this month to press ahead with the conquest of Gaza City. Ben Gvir previously resigned in January when Israel agreed to a short-lived ceasefire, only to return to the government once the war resumed. A new Kan poll suggests that a majority of Israelis favor compromise: 54 percent said they support a deal that would free hostages, withdraw the IDF, end the war, and release Palestinian prisoners. In contrast, 28 percent backed the continued military push to conquer Gaza City.  

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