Former Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a unity government together with opposition members, in an effort to help secure the release of hostages held in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s coalition government depends on the support of far-right members, who oppose ending the war and reaching any agreement with the Palestinian group Hamas, whose October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza.
Gantz — a political rival of Netanyahu who nevertheless joined his government in the early days of the war — proposed the creation of a temporary coalition that would bypass far-right parties and work toward a hostage-release agreement.
“I am here on behalf of the hostages who have no voice. I am here for the soldiers who are shouting, yet no one in this government is listening to them,”
Gantz said during a televised press conference.
