Ben Gvir warns Netanyahu won't continue as premier 'if we do not enter Rafah'
In response to threats from far-right ministers to withdraw from the coalition, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid reiterated his promise to back a hostage deal and provide a 'safety net'
Against the backdrop of reports on progress in ceasefire negotiations, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir placed an ultimatum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue the war against Hamas.
"If the prime minister decides to end the war without a broad attack on Rafah in order to defeat Hamas, he will not have a mandate to continue serving as prime minister," Ben-Gvir posted on X.
On Monday morning, amid reports of progress on a ceasefire deal and the withdrawal of IDF forces from Khan Yunis, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich convened an urgent meeting of his Religious Zionism party to discuss its future in the Netanyahu government.
In response to the threats from the far-right ministers to break up the ruling coalition, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid reiterated his promise to back any deal the government made to bring the hostages back from Gaza. Writing on X that his Yesh Atid party's 24 mandates far outweighed those of the Jewish Power and Religious Zionism parties combined, Lapid once again offered the prime minister a "safety net."
Meanwhile, the ultra-Orthodox political party Degel HaTorah also issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu, telling him to resolve the issues regarding legislation of broad draft exemptions for young Haredi men, otherwise "there is no coalition."
In terms of a ceasefire and hostage deal, a senior Israeli official told i24NEWS Monday morning that there is some optimism surrounding the progress of the negotiations in Cairo, noting "heavy" American pressure to reach an agreement.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian source told the pro-Hezbollah network Al-Mayadeen, "all the attempts and efforts of the mediators to reach an agreement have encountered Israeli inflexibility."