Israeli officials announced on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved the War Cabinet responsible for overseeing the conflict in Gaza. The decision to disband the War Cabinet came after Benny Gantz, an opposition lawmaker who had joined the coalition at the start of the war, left the government. Gantz had pushed for the formation of a smaller Cabinet to marginalize far-right members of Netanyahu's government. The War Cabinet, consisting of Gantz, Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, had been making critical decisions together during the conflict.
Following the dissolution of the War Cabinet, Netanyahu plans to hold smaller forums with select government members to address sensitive issues moving forward. Gantz, a longstanding political rival of Netanyahu, had initially joined the government in a display of unity after an attack by Hamas on southern Israel in early October. However, he resigned from the government recently, citing dissatisfaction with Netanyahu's management of the war.
Critics have raised concerns that Netanyahu's decision-making during the conflict has been influenced by ultranationalist elements within his government who oppose potential ceasefire agreements involving the release of hostages. These critics have also expressed support for the idea of encouraging Palestinians in Gaza to voluntarily leave the territory and for reoccupying the area.
Netanyahu has refuted these allegations, asserting that his actions are guided by the best interests of the country.
