Ben Gvir says his party will quit government if cabinet implements hostage-ceasefire deal
‘Reckless deal’ will lead to ‘the release of hundreds of murderous terrorists’ and ‘effectively erase the achievements of the war,’ warns far-right leader
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced on Thursday evening that his far-right Otzma Yehudit party will withdraw from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition if the cabinet approves the hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as it is expected to do over the weekend.
At the same time, Ben Gvir told reporters in Jerusalem that even if the far-right party should quit the coalition, it would be willing to return should the war eventually resume.
Netanyahu’s Likud party blasted the minister’s threat, saying, “Anyone who dissolves the right-wing government will be remembered as an eternal disgrace.”
Netanyahu’s coalition will maintain a Knesset majority even without Ben Gvir’s party, though if fellow far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism also follows through on threats to depart, it would fall to a minority. Opposition parties have promised to support the coalition so long as it is advancing the deal.
In addition to Ben Gvir and Smotrich, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli (Likud) vowed on Thursday evening to resign from the government if the ceasefire becomes permanent, and Israel withdraws from the border between Gaza and Egypt before the war goals are achieved.
Flanked by members of his party, Ben Gvir told reporters in Jerusalem that the agreement, which includes the release of hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners serving life terms, will enable the rehabilitation of terror groups in Gaza and bring back the threat to residents in border areas.
The “reckless deal” will lead to “the release of hundreds of murderous terrorists,” “effectively erase the achievements of the war” and “seal the fate of the hostages who remain [beyond those freed in the first phase],” leaving Hamas “with a significant ability to rebuild itself,” he insisted.
According to a leaked copy of the agreement, over 1,700 Palestinian prisoners are to be freed in return for 33 Israeli hostages in the first phase of the deal: 700 terrorists, 250-300 of whom are serving life terms; 1,000 Gazans captured since October 8 in fighting in the Strip; and 47 rearrested prisoners from the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal.
“When we see the jubilant cheers of Hamas supporter [Hadash-Ta’al party leader] Ayman Odeh, the dancing in Gaza, the celebrations in the [Palestinian] villages of Judea and Samaria, we understand which side surrendered in this deal,” Ben Gvir said. “Therefore, if this reckless deal is approved and implemented, the Otzma Yehudit party will not be part of the government and will withdraw from it.”
However, he added, “if the war on Hamas is renewed with force to resolve and realize the unachieved war goals, we will offer to return to the government.”
He called on Smotrich’s party and members of Netanyahu’s Likud to take similar steps to prevent the deal’s implementation.

“The existing deal increases Hamas’s appetite and motivation to carry out another October 7 massacre,” Ben Gvir argued, appealing to the prime minister “to come to his senses.”
“If he does not do so, when the government and [security] cabinet decision is made, as stated, Otzma Yehudit under my leadership will not overthrow Netanyahu, and will not act with the left against the government, but it will not be able to be part of a government that approves a deal that constitutes a huge prize for Hamas,” he said.
In response, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid called on Netanyahu not to be intimidated by Ben Gvir and promised to provide him with “any safety net you need to make the hostage deal.”
“This is more important than any disagreement we’ve ever had,” Lapid tweeted.
Both Lapid and National Unity chairman Benny Gantz on Wednesday offered Netanyahu the political support necessary to overcome the objections of his coalition’s hard-right flank.
Ben Gvir’s announcement came on the heels of a statement by Smotrich’s Religious Zionism on Thursday afternoon warning that its continued membership in the government hinges upon the war not ending without the complete military defeat of Hamas.
According to multiple Hebrew-language media reports, Smotrich has demanded up-front guarantees from Netanyahu before the deal is signed. However, if the prime minister were to make such assurances, it could scupper the agreement entirely.

The Religious Zionism party’s statement followed what media reports indicated was an inconclusive faction meeting convened to discuss whether or not to quit the coalition.
Speaking to national broadcaster Kan ahead of the meeting on Thursday morning, Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot said that “in all likelihood, we will resign from the government,” adding that his party was “here to change the DNA of the State of Israel,” not just to fill seats in the coalition.
Netanyahu held his sixth meeting in two days with Smotrich Thursday evening as he sought to persuade him not to quit the government.
Channel 12 reported that the government may pass a separate decision to placate Smotrich, stating that the war against Hamas will not end before Hamas is destroyed militarily and in terms of its governing capacity.
Channel 12 also reported that the full cabinet was set to delay its vote on the hostage-ceasefire deal until Saturday night, meaning that implementation of the deal might not start before Monday.

The government will have a majority to approve the ceasefire deal even if Smotrich and Ben Gvir do not support it in the cabinet, but Netanyahu is seeking the broadest possible support for the agreement, and fears both parties departing the coalition will lead to its collapse in the near future.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.