Opposition to Ceasefire Negotiations; Israeli Internal Security Minister: I Will Leave the Coalition Government

Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's Minister of National Security and far-right politician, threatened during a security cabinet meeting on Thursday night that he would leave Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government if negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of hostages with Hamas continued. According to 'The Times of Israel', this threat came after Netanyahu decided to send a delegation to negotiate a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Ben Gvir accused Netanyahu of holding closed sessions with Yoav Gallant, the Minister of Defense, and the heads of Israel's security services, labeling the security cabinet as merely a decorative entity. He told Netanyahu, 'If you make a decision alone, the responsibility will be solely yours. I was not elected by half a million people to be in a government where the heads of security agencies make decisions.' During this meeting, Gila Gamliel, the Minister of Information, asked Ben Gvir if he was threatening to leave the coalition, to which he replied, 'I am not threatening; this is a reality. If decisions are made unilaterally, do not expect me to remain in the government afterward.' According to 'The Times of Israel', the threat from the National Security Minister indicates a deep rift within Israel's security cabinet and internal pressures on Netanyahu in the face of upcoming security and political challenges. The meeting of Israeli leaders with the negotiating team regarding ceasefire talks and the release of hostages, Netanyahu's phone conversation with Biden: Israel will send a delegation to resume negotiations with Hamas, and the foreign ministers of the U.S. and Saudi Arabia discussed efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.