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Member of Israel's War Cabinet says he'll quit the government on June 8
Updated On: 19 May, 2024 08:46 AM IST | Deir Al-Balah (Gaza Strip) | AP
They were taken to a hospital in Deir al-Balah and counted by Associated Press journalists. The police are a civilian force distinct from Hamas` military wing
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Benjamin Netanyahu. Pic/AFP
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel`s three-man War Cabinet, has threatened to resign from the government if it doesn`t adopt a new plan for the war in Gaza, a move that would leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more reliant on his far-right allies. His announcement on Saturday escalates a divide within Israel`s leadership more than seven months into a war in which it has yet to accomplish its stated goals of dismantling Hamas and returning scores of hostages abducted in the Oct. 7 attack. Gantz spelled out a six-point plan that includes the return of scores of hostages, ending Hamas` rule, demilitarizing the strip and establishing an international administration of civilian affairs. It also supports efforts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia. He says if it is not adopted by June 8 he will quit the government. Gantz, a centrist politician and longtime political rival of Netanyahu, joined his coalition and the War Cabinet in the early days of the war. His departure would leave Netanyahu even more beholden to far-right allies who have taken a hard line on negotiations over a cease-fire and hostage release, and who believe Israel should occupy Gaza and rebuild Jewish settlements there.
The first distribution of badly needed aid is expected to begin this weekend after rolling off a newly built U.S. pier off the coast of Gaza, even as aid workers warn much more access is needed to the besieged territory where famine might be under way. Israeli restrictions and heavy fighting in the war against the Hamas militant group now in its eighth month have left residents in parts of Gaza scrounging for weeds and animal feed, skipping meals and living on pale diets of bread. Deliveries to the territory that long has largely relied on humanitarian aid are still far from the average of about 500 trucks that entered daily before the war. United Nations officials have not said where the truckloads of food would be distributed after arriving Friday and being stored in central Deir al-Balah. U.S. military officials anticipate the pier operation could reach 150 truckloads a day. Risks include attacks, logistical hurdles and a growing shortage of fuel. The Israeli blockade of Gaza began after Hamas` Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more. The Israeli offensive has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza, local health officials say, while hundreds more have been killed in the occupied West Bank. On Saturday, at least five police officers were killed in an Israeli strike on a car in the Nuseirat refugee camp, medical officials said.
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