From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 3, 2026
Far-right ministers demand Netanyahu walk back approval of international force’s entry into Gaza
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. 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"
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlements Minister Orit Strock demand that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately convene the security cabinet to prohibit the entry of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) into Gaza, as approved by the cabinet last week.
The cabinet approved the move to allow 200 troops from “friendly countries” into the Palestinian enclave. ISF troops would first deploy along the borders of a pilot humanitarian zone in Gaza being planned by the Board of Peace in the area of the flattened city of Rafah. According to the decision, the entry of ISF forces would still be subject to the specific approval of Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
Writing to Netanyahu, the two far-right politicians assert that this decision had been based on “incorrect information” and that the Board of Peace road map for Gaza “is dangerous to Israel and completely contradicts the disarming of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza.”
A report last week said that passing the cabinet decision had been required for Netanyahu to secure his White House meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Smotrich and Strock call for reconvening the cabinet to roll back last week’s decision and “adopt a preventative cabinet decision that will block the implementation of the roadmap published by the Board of Peace, and to compel the Peace Council to amend the outline so that it aligns with the goals of the war and the commitments made to Israel.”
Responding to Smotrich and Strock, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid demands they name who they believe provided the cabinet with incorrect information.
“Since this is a diplomatic matter that was finalized with the Americans, could you specify who exactly delivered this incorrect information to you in the cabinet?” Lapid asks in a statement.
“Is there someone in the cabinet who is senior to you, managed the talks with the Americans, and was the one who provided you with incorrect information? Cabinet ministers cannot throw around such a serious accusation without stating who they are referring to,” he says, seemingly implying that they are referring to Netanyahu himself.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir welcomes Smotrich’s opposition to the ISF, writing in a statement that he will soon demand that the prime minister bring the agreement on Gaza to the Knesset for a vote.
“It was clear from the outset that no international force would do the job for us in Gaza; only the State of Israel can destroy Hamas,” he declares.
The Times of Israel Community.