Israeli Prime Minister and Politicians Oppose Military Weekly Ceasefire Announcement

On the 16th (local time), the Israeli military announced that it would not conduct military operations during the daytime in certain southern areas of the Gaza Strip for the purpose of delivering relief supplies, but Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, and far-right figures within the Israeli right-wing expressed opposition to the plan.

Merkava tank of the Israeli army moving at the Gaza border [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to local media such as the Israeli daily Haaretz, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office stated, "After reports about the ceasefire plan, Prime Minister Netanyahu conveyed to the defense secretary that it was unacceptable," and "the Israeli military informed the Prime Minister that there would be no change in policy and that the battle of Rafah would proceed as planned."

Since a humanitarian ceasefire is not a matter of political judgment, the military can decide on its own. Therefore, the issue was not brought up as an agenda item in the cabinet meeting.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's Minister of National Security and a prominent far-right politician within the ruling coalition, criticized the authorities for not bringing the ceasefire plan to the cabinet meeting, calling it "an absurd and delusional plan that will cause more casualties."

Another far-right politician, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's Minister of Finance, also criticized the plan to halt fighting for relief activities as "delusional" via the social networking service X, stating, "Humanitarian aid supplies are still being delivered to Hamas."

Earlier, the Israeli military issued a statement announcing that it would "tactically suspend military activities" during daytime hours in specific areas. It also specified the exact time frame, stating that the suspension would be implemented daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The areas where the suspension of military activities applies include the road from the Kerem Shalom crossing at Israel's southern border to Salah al-Din Road, which runs north-south through the Gaza Strip, and the surrounding northern areas.