Israeli media reported that Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are allegedly considering the possibility of dismantling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and withdrawing from it if he declares a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

This comes in light of the announcement to extend the truce agreement between the Israeli occupation forces and the Palestinian resistance for the fifth consecutive day. The extension includes the release of an additional batch of Israeli prisoners in exchange for the liberation of Palestinian prisoners.

Ben Gvir threatens: Stopping the war means dissolving the government

The Israeli Wallah website confirmed that Ben Gvir threatened on Tuesday that "ending the war equates to dissolving the government," following discussions about extending the ceasefire in exchange for the release of additional Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners. 

Officials from the "Otzma Yehudit" party, also known as Jewish Power, asserted that "if another deal is proposed to the government resulting in the cessation of the war, all six members of the Knesset in the party will exit the coalition."

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The words of Ben Gvir and his party reflect a general atmosphere of frustration and disappointment prevailing among the "hawks" in Israeli politics. They have been banking on a broad military operation in the sector since October 7th to restore the reputation of the occupation army and its security system after the success of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. This is without taking into consideration the various opinions shared by experts about the difficulty of achieving any operation in Gaza for its goals, including the release of prisoners and ending the resistance force.

In turn, former head of the Israeli National Security Council, Giora Eiland, indicated that "if Israel accepts a ceasefire, it means that the war has ended without eliminating Hamas". 

Eiland stated on Channel 12 that "Hamas has complete control over Gaza. Even though they may have lost some control above ground, it's limited to certain areas in the city of Gaza, not the entire city. They maintain full control underground and in the tunnels".

The former Israeli official explained, "Hamas's control extends beyond the military aspect. It is evident in negotiations, communication capabilities, and, most importantly, their complete influence over the population. They fulfill the population's needs for food, fuel, cooking gas, and other essentials."

Gallant: They are obligated to remain inside the Gaza Strip until the mission is completed 

Contrarily, Security Minister Yoav Gallant emphasized that the occupation army is obliged to remain in Gaza until it fulfills its mission.

As for the former head of AMAN, Reserve Major General Tamir Hayman affirmed in a media interview that "we must acknowledge that we are still a long way from completing the mission". 

He continued: "We are still under attack by Hamas, targeting the heart of Israeli society. It is directing all its efforts to dismantle, undermine, and create great frustration among us, and the same attack is still ongoing... and it is currently being carried out through influence and awareness."

Gallant added, "All this show of strength during the release of the kidnapped individuals indicates that we are still very far from a decisive resolution. Even in the northern part of the strip, we destroyed less than half of the brigades present there, and we did not come close to the senior leaders. That said, Hamas still has functional and operating infrastructure, and this was displayed for embarrassment, creating confusion, and eliciting all those emotions that we are witnessing now."