TEL AVIV – Former Israeli defence minister Benny Gantz on Aug 23 urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a unity government with opposition parties to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s fragile coalition is heavily dependent on far-right partners who staunchly oppose ending the war or negotiating any deal with Hamas, the Palestinian group whose October 2023 assault sparked the ongoing conflict.
At a televised press conference, Gantz – a political rival who briefly joined Netanyahu’s government in the early days of the war – called for a temporary coalition that would exclude extremist factions and focus on reaching a hostage release agreement.
“I am here on behalf of the hostages who have no voice. I am here for the soldiers who are crying out, and whom no one in this government is listening to,” Gantz declared. “The duty of our state is first and foremost to save the lives of Jews and all citizens.”
Gantz also appealed to opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Avigdor Lieberman to support his proposal. However, both have previously rejected joining any Netanyahu-led government.
The call highlights growing divisions within Israeli politics over how to balance the war effort with the urgent demand to free captives in Gaza, where dozens remain in Hamas custody nearly a year after the group’s unprecedented cross-border attack.
