‘It is possible to advance toward a deal that brings back all the captives and ends the war,’ Benny Gantz says
Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz called Saturday for forming a “government without extremists” to secure the release of captives in the Gaza Strip and end the war in the enclave.
Gantz, the leader of the Blue and White Party, said the proposed government would include Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, opposition leader Yair Lapid and Avigdor Lieberman, the head of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu Party.
“Today, it is possible to advance toward a deal that brings back all the captives and ends the war. I call on Netanyahu, Lapid, and Lieberman to form a unity government that would be a sacrifice for the captives,” he said at a news conference.
Gantz said his proposal envisions the government being “temporary for only six months, after which general elections would be held at an agreed date in spring 2026.”
The Israeli leader said the government should be “without extremists,” noting that he expected political attacks against him following his announcement.
“Unlike the poison machine, I don’t want to save Netanyahu, but to save the hostages,” he said.
His announcement quickly drew fire from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
“We saw the difference between the cabinet with Gantz and without him — in Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and in Rafah,” he said on the US social media company X.
“Right-wing voters chose a right-wing policy, not Gantz’s policy, not a centrist government, not surrender deals with Hamas, but yes to complete victory,” he said.
On Wednesday, Israel’s state broadcaster KAN reported that Gantz, a Knesset member, had held consultations about possibly rejoining the government to push forward a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
Gantz joined Netanyahu’s government on Oct. 11, 2023, following the start of the Gaza war, forming what was called an “emergency government” that led to the creation of a smaller War Cabinet. But the Blue and White leader resigned in June 2024 in protest against Netanyahu’s policies.
A poll conducted by KAN and published about two weeks ago showed that if elections were held currently, Gantz’s party would win just four out of 120 Knesset seats. In other polls, it even fell below the electoral threshold of 3.25% of valid votes.
Israel estimates that 50 Israeli captives remain in Gaza, with 20 of them alive.
More than 10,800 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect that has claimed many lives, according to rights groups.
Israel has killed more than 62,600 Palestinians in a brutal onslaught in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
