Report: Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in Conflict Over Gaza Hostage Deal

Jerusalem:

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant clashed on Monday over halted discussions for a truce agreement that would release captives held in Gaza.

“The delay in a hostage agreement is partially due to Israel,” Israeli media, including TV channel Kan, reported Gallant stating in a private briefing for a parliamentary committee on Monday.

Gallant was deliberating on the decision Israel had to make between a truce agreement that could resolve the conflicts in the north with Lebanese Hezbollah and in Gaza, and escalating the conflict, Kan reported.

“I and the defense establishment support the initial choice,” he expressed, instead of discussing “‘complete victory’ and all that nonsense”, a phrase frequently used by Netanyahu in his messages.

Shortly after Gallant’s remarks were disclosed to the press, Netanyahu retaliated in a statement released by his office, where he accused Gallant of jeopardizing an agreement to secure the release of captives.

“When Gallant adopts the anti-Israel narrative, he hinders the likelihood of achieving a hostage release agreement,” Netanyahu remarked, adding that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is the one “who has been and continues to be the sole impediment to a hostage agreement.”

He concluded by stating that Israel’s only option was “to attain complete victory,” which “obligates everyone – including Gallant.”

Gallant defended himself in a post on X stating that during the briefing he had “emphasized that (he is) resolute in achieving the objectives of the conflict and prolonging the combat.”

He also criticized what he referred to as “constant disclosures” since the start of the conflict, including the one on Monday.

Hamas weighed in on the dispute between the two politicians, with one of its leaders, Izzat al-Rishq, stating in a declaration that “Gallant’s acknowledgement (…) confirms what we have always asserted.”

“Netanyahu is deceiving the global community and the captive families, he is unconcerned about the captives’ lives and is uninterested in reaching an agreement,” he added.

Hamas officials, some analysts, and critics in Israel have suggested that Netanyahu has aimed to extend the conflict for political advantage.

In late July, Israeli media reported that Gallant was criticizing the absence of an agreement to secure the return of the captives held in Gaza since Hamas’s unprecedented assault on October 7.

The Palestinian Islamist movement’s assault on Israel led to the fatalities of 1,198 individuals, primarily civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli statistics.

Operatives also abducted 251 individuals, 111 of whom are still detained in Gaza, including 39 the Israeli military claims are deceased.

Israel’s retaliatory military operation in Gaza has since led to the deaths of at least 39,897 individuals, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled region, which does not disclose specifics on civilian and operative casualties.