Israel’s Ben Gvir urges finance minister to join hands to block Gaza deal

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday to join him in threatening to withdraw from the government if a Gaza prisoner exchange and cease-fire deal is signed.

Ben-Gvir, leader of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party, tied his potential withdrawal from the government to Smotrich's acceptance, acknowledging that he cannot influence the government alone.

"Otzma Yehudit alone does not have the ability to prevent the deal," Ben-Gvir said on his X account.

"I suggest that we go together to the prime minister and inform him that if he passes the deal we will resign from the government," he added.

There was no immediate comment from Smotrich on the suggestion.

On Monday, Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism Party, announced his opposition to the anticipated agreement but did not threaten to withdraw from the government.

A coordinated decision between Ben-Gvir and Smotrich could undermine the agreement, but Ben-Gvir alone lacks the numbers to topple the government.

Together, the two extremist ministers hold 14 seats in the Knesset (Israel's parliament), enough to bring down the government if they act in unison. However, Ben-Gvir's six seats alone are insufficient for this move.

The government holds 68 of the 120-seat Knesset, requiring 61 seats to maintain its majority under the Israeli parliamentary system.

"In the last year, using our political power, we managed to prevent this deal from going ahead, time after time," Ben-Gvir said.

"Recently other actors who support the deal have joined the government and we no longer hold the balance of power," he added, in reference to the inclusion of the National Unity Party, led by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, into the government.

Qatar said early Tuesday that Gaza cease-fire negotiations are in their "final details" and that announcing an agreement is "imminent."

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas also said on Tuesday that a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement is in "its final stages."

According to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, the Israeli Security Cabinet might convene on Tuesday to approve the agreement.

Israel has continued its war on Gaza, which has killed more than 46,600 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over 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.