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Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Thursday evening that he would withdraw his Jewish Power party from Benjamin Netanyahu’s government if it implemented the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

US-led mediators said on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had done so Agreed to a multi-stage deal To stop the war that has been going on for 15 months and release 98 hostages still being held by the Palestinian movement in Gaza.

Netanyahu’s government is scheduled to meet on Friday to approve the agreement, which Ben Gvir described as “reckless” and a “prize for Hamas” that he said his party could not support.

“[This accord] Ben Gvir said in a press conference: “This will lead to the end of the war, before Hamas is defeated and the war goals are not achieved.”

“When we see and hear the chants and dances in Gaza, and the chants in [occupied West Bank] “We understand which side gave up in this deal.”

However, Ben Gvir left open the possibility of him rejoining Netanyahu’s coalition if the war was “renewed” with the aim of defeating Hamas “decisively,” adding that he would not work to oust the long-serving prime minister if he was in the opposition. .

In response, Netanyahu’s Likud party issued a statement saying that “anyone who dismantles a right-wing government will be remembered in shame throughout history.”

She added that the agreement would allow Israel to renew the war with Hamas “with American guarantees.”

Ben Gvir and his ultra-nationalist ally, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, repeatedly threatened to withdraw from Netanyahu’s government if it accepted an agreement ending the war.

The departure of the “Jewish Power” party would give the prime minister’s coalition a two-seat majority in the Israeli parliament. It would also increase pressure on Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party to follow suit and withdraw.

Ben Gvir called on parliamentarians from Religious Zionism and Likud to “fulfill what you said over the past year” and oppose the deal.

While Ben Gvir and Smotrich are not believed to have enough support in the cabinet to torpedo the agreement if Netanyahu puts it to a vote, if they both withdraw their far-right parties from the government, they will lose their parliamentary majority.

The political system in Israel does not prevent the formation of a minority government, and the opposition parties have said that they are ready to support Netanyahu’s coalition if necessary.

But the loss of his two allies would shake Netanyahu’s grip on power and could lead to early elections.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier Thursday that he was “confident” after speaking with negotiators that the Gaza ceasefire would go into effect as planned on Sunday, a day before Donald Trump returns to the White House. .

The multi-stage agreement, which is based on a plan first drawn up by US President Joe Biden last year, includes an initial 42-day truce during which 33 hostages, including children, women, the sick and the elderly, will be released at intervals.

In return, Palestinians will be released from Israeli prisons, more aid will go to Gaza and there will be a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip.

By the 16th day of the truce, Israel and Hamas are scheduled to begin negotiating the second phase of the deal, which will include the release of the remaining living hostages, a full Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war.

The final phase will include the return of all the bodies of the hostages who died, and the reconstruction of Gaza.

The Gaza War was sparked by a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, during which the movement’s fighters killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials, and took 250 hostage.

Israel responded with an attack on Gaza that killed more than 46,000 people, according to Palestinian officials, and led to a humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip.