Israel's Gantz Threatens To Topple Netanyahu's Government If Hostage Deal With Hamas Blocked

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government "will not have the right to continue to exist" if it blocks a proposed hostage swap with Hamas, War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz said on Sunday.

"Entering Rafah is important in the long struggle against Hamas, [but] the return of our hostages, who were abandoned by the October 7 government, is urgent and of far greater importance," he said on X.

Despite international warnings about a planned Israeli invasion of Rafah, the Israeli army insists on going ahead with attacking the tiny city, which is home to nearly 1.4 million displaced Palestinians.

Gantz said if a "reasonable" hostage deal to end the Gaza war is obstructed by ministers, "the government will not have the right to continue to exist."

The leader of the centrist National Unity Party joined Netanyahu's emergency government following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

His threat came hours after far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to undermine Netanyahu's government if he accepts an Egyptian proposal for a Gaza cease-fire.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened on Saturday to withdraw from Netanyahu's government "if Rafah is not invaded."

An Egyptian intelligence delegation held talks with Israeli officials on Friday to discuss a proposed cease-fire deal in the Gaza Strip.

The new proposal includes Israel's willingness to discuss the "restoration of sustainable calm" in Gaza after an initial release of hostages on humanitarian grounds, two Israeli officials told Axios news website.

A Palestinian source told Anadolu that Hamas will deliver its response to the proposed Gaza cease-fire deal on Monday.

More than 34,400 Palestinians have since been killed and thousands injured in a deadly Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala -