Herzog urges cabinet to support Gaza deal, as Smotrich threatens to bolt coalition
Various key coalition members back accord, but finance minister denounces ‘dangerous deal,’ conditions continued membership in government on full restart of war after truce
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"
In an address to the nation Wednesday evening, President Isaac Herzog urged members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet to approve the ceasefire and hostage release deal announced earlier between Israel and Hamas, declaring that he supported “the prime minister and the negotiating team for [their] efforts to reach a deal.”
Herzog stated that the deal was the “right” and “necessary move” and that “there is no greater moral, human, Jewish, or Israeli obligation than to bring our sons and daughters back to us — whether to recover at home, or to be laid to rest.”
“Let there be no illusions. This deal — when signed, approved, and implemented — will bring with it deeply painful, challenging, and harrowing moments,” he said. “It will also present significant challenges. This is not a simple situation; it is among the greatest challenges we have ever known.”
But he argued that the security cabinet and the full cabinet, who were expected to vote on the framework Thursday, will have to approve the deal “to bring our sons and daughters home.”
Herzog’s comments came as many politicians and leading figures in Israel reacted to the deal, which is expected to take effect on Sunday, January 19, with the first of the hostages set to be released that day. Once the deal’s implementation begins, Hamas will gradually release 33 Israeli hostages over the first 42 days of the ceasefire, according to multiple outlets.
While a source in the Prime Minister’s Office indicated that Netanyahu would not be making any public comments until “the deal is complete and closed,” several members of his cabinet came out in favor of the deal Wednesday.
Housing Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf, the chairman of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, welcomed the agreement, declaring that “Saving a life comes before the entire Torah” and promising to “fulfill the incomparable commandment of ransoming captives, and support the deal tomorrow.”
Health Minister Uriel Busso (Shas) also came out in favor, posting a photo montage of the hostages on X with the message, “The healthcare system is ready and waiting for you.”
Addressing the Jewish community of Rome in a speech, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that agreeing to the ceasefire was “a very tough decision,” especially because it means the release of terrorists, “but we have a commitment to our brothers and sisters.”
“If we postpone the decision — who knows how many will remain alive,” Sa’ar said.
However, the deal met fierce resistance from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
In a statement, Smotrich, the chairman of the far-right Religious Zionism party, denounced what he described as a “bad and dangerous deal for the national security of the State of Israel.”
“Along with the great joy and excitement for the return of each and every kidnapped person, the deal reverses many of the achievements of the war,” he said, adding that these achievements were bought at the cost of Israeli blood.
He conditioned his party’s continued membership in the coalition on Israel restarting its campaign against Hamas until “complete victory” following the end of the deal.
Smotrich defined victory as the “destruction of the Hamas terrorist organization and the return of all the hostages to their homes.”
“Over the past two days, the prime minister and I have been conducting hectic talks on the matter. He knows what the detailed demands of Religious Zionism are, and the ball is in his hands,” Smotrich said.
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday evening that the deal will bring about a “permanent end of the war” in Gaza. Netanyahu has long insisted that he will not agree to permanently end to the war until Hamas’s governing and military capabilities have been dismantled, and sought during negotiations to ensure that Israel could resume fighting after the first stage.
Netanyahu has reportedly been pressuring Smotrich to resist a call from fellow far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to quit the government over approval of the deal.
On Monday, Ben Gvir claimed he had repeatedly foiled a hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas during the past year, while calling on Smotrich to again join him in thwarting the emerging agreement.
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 reportedly seeking the broadest possible support for the agreement. Were both the far-right parties to bolt his coalition, it would lose its Knesset majority.
Those in Netanyahu’s orbit believe Ben Gvir will not leave the government without Smotrich, and that is the reason why pressure is being exerted on the latter, according to Channel 13.
Kan news reported that Netanyahu has offered Smotrich and Ben Gvir “gains for the right” in return for them remaining in the government.
Those gains would mean settlement construction in the West Bank and boosted security, the report said. It added that Smotrich and Ben Gvir would both be able to claim credit for those developments, making the offer attractive to Ben Gvir, who would otherwise see Smotrich take all the honors.
Members of the opposition offered Netanyahu their support for the move.
In a video address on Wednesday evening, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid welcomed the deal and reiterated his oft-repeated promise to provide Netanyahu with a political “safety net until the last moment, until the last hostage.”
“I want to send a huge thank you on behalf of the entire country to President Trump and his team, to President Biden, to the Qataris and the Egyptians, thanks to whom this is happening and without whom it would not have happened,” Lapid declared.
National Unity chairman Benny Gantz also feted the deal, stating that his heart and those of the entire Israeli people were with the families of the hostages.
“As I said, National Unity will support the move publicly, and if necessary – also politically,” Gantz tweeted.
Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who oversaw most of the war until his dismissal by Netanyahu late last year due to disagreements over the handling of the war and other policy matters, declared that “national and security considerations have prevailed over political interests” and that he supports the government “in making the right decision ethically, politically and morally.
“Tonight, I salute those who paid the price to make this agreement possible: our courageous troops and service-members; the wounded and the fallen heroes who fought fiercely against a brutal enemy and created the conditions necessary to bring our people home,” he added.
Amy Spiro and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
