The Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has resigned from Netanyahu's government over a hostage deal. Along with him, two other ministers from his party, Otzma Yehudit - Amichai Eliyahu and Itzhak Wasserlauf - also left the cabinet.
The party stated that this move was made in protest against the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. The exit of Otzma Yehudit ("Jewish Supremacy") from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government will not lead to the collapse of the ruling coalition but poses a risk of destabilization.
The departure of the three far-right ministers from the government occurred shortly before Hamas announced the names of three hostages it plans to release on Sunday, which might pave the way for a ceasefire in Gaza.
In a letter to Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir acknowledged the "significant successes achieved under your leadership," but lamented what he described as a "capitulation agreement to terror that crosses all ideological red lines."
A ceasefire represents a "total victory for terrorism," declared Ben-Gvir. He added that "we will not work to overthrow your government, but on ideological matters, we will vote according to our views and our conscience."
"We will not return to the negotiating table without a complete victory over Hamas and the full realization of the war's objectives," he concluded.