National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir threatened on Saturday night that his far-right Otzma Yehudit party would leave the government if Hamas “continues to exist” after the release of the hostages under the plan for ending the war in Gaza proposed by US President Donald Trump.
Ben Gvir said in response to developments over the weekend that his party would not be a part of “a national defeat” and “eternal disgrace,” and would not agree to a situation in which Hamas would be able to reconstitute itself after the end of hostilities.
Under the Trump plan introduced in Washington, DC, earlier this week, once all remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are released, Hamas members who “commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty,” while those who wish to leave Gaza will be given safe passage.
It was not immediately clear if Ben Gvir meant in his statement that he would leave the government even if Hamas complies with this stipulation of the proposed agreement.
Ben Gvir has threatened countless times to leave the coalition if the war is halted, and temporarily bolted it earlier this year during the last two-month ceasefire-hostage deal, later returning when the truce collapsed.
His fellow far-right government colleague, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, did not make any explicit threat on Saturday night about leaving the government, but was strongly critical of the decision to halt the IDF’s offensive combat operations while efforts are made to work out the details of the Trump plan by negotiators.
The comments by the far-right ministers came following the submission of Hamas’s response to Trump’s plan on Friday, and the cessation of the IDF’s operation to capture Gaza City on Saturday after Trump said his Gaza truce plan was accepted by Hamas and called on Israel to stop bombing the Strip.
“In light of recent developments, myself and the Otzma Yehudit faction informed the prime minister in a clear manner: if after the release of the hostages the Hamas terror organization remains in existence, Otzma Yehudit will not be part of the government,” Ben Gvir said in a statement to the press on Saturday night.
“We will not be part of a national defeat which will be an eternal disgrace, and which will turn into a ticking time bomb of the next massacre,” he added.
The far-right minister said his party “would, like everyone, be happy to see the hostages return home,” but that his party “can in no way agree to a scenario in which the terror group that brought about the greatest ever catastrophe upon the State of Israel will be able to resurrect itself.”
Meanwhile, Smotrich was sharply critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for agreeing to halt the IDF’s offensive in Gaza so that details of the Trump plan for ending the war can be ironed out with Hamas during negotiations.
“The prime minister’s decision to halt the offensive in Gaza and to, for the first time, conduct negotiations not under fire is a serious mistake,” said the far-right minister who heads the Religious Zionism coalition party.
He added that the move is also “a sure recipe for Hamas stalling for time and a growing erosion of the Israeli position, both with respect to the release of the hostages in one go within 72 hours, and with respect to the central war goal of eliminating Hamas and completely demilitarizing Gaza.”
Earlier, National Unity-Blue and White party chair Benny Gantz said he would not allow “petty politics” to torpedo Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza.
“Make no mistake — we have a long and complex road ahead of us until all our hostages are returned and the Hamas regime is replaced,” Gantz wrote on X.
“We can’t miss another opportunity,” he continued. “We will do everything in our power so that it will happen and ensure that petty politics do not derail President Trump’s framework.”
Similarly, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid has said multiple times that his Yesh Atid would grant Netanyahu a safety net to implement a Gaza deal that returns all of the hostages, even if the far-right coalition parties oppose it or threaten to quit the coalition.