Israeli opposition leader Lapid calls on Premier Netanyahu to resign

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign over what he called the government's poor handling of the conflict with Hamas.

"Netanyahu needs to go now during the fighting," Lapid told Israel's Channel 12.

"This government isn't functioning," he said. "We need change — Netanyahu cannot continue to be prime minister. We cannot allow ourselves to conduct a prolonged campaign with a prime minister that the public has no faith in."

Lapid pointed out that his party, Yesh Atid, or There is Future, may join a "national reconstruction government" with the Likud Party, but stressed that "Netanyahu cannot lead it."

According to a recent poll, 66% of Israelis want early elections after the end of the Gaza conflict, which began after a cross border attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Since then, Israel has continued with its relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip, killing at least 11,500 Palestinians, more than half of them being women and children.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also either been damaged or fully destroyed.

The official Israeli death toll, meanwhile, stands at 1,200.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution Wednesday calling for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas and for urgent and extended humanitarian corridors throughout the enclave to save and protect civilian lives.