Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir clashed during Thursday’s Security Cabinet meeting after Netanyahu confirmed a new policy under which Israel would refrain from carrying out targeted strikes in Gaza unless the targets pose an immediate threat.
The tense exchange came as the Security Cabinet convened for the first time since Netanyahu returned from the White House. Ministers were already divided over the Board of Peace’s Gaza roadmap, while Ben-Gvir challenged Netanyahu over the decision to limit strikes in the Strip.
“There must not be a single day without targeted eliminations in Gaza. This isn’t tactical; it’s strategic,” Ben-Gvir said.
Netanyahu responded with a jab apparently alluding to election campaigning: “For the next 90 days, nothing will be tactical.”
Ben-Gvir fired back: “I’ve been demanding targeted eliminations for four years, not just during these 90 days. There are those who really do talk only before elections, but I’ve been demanding this every week for four years.”
The exchange comes against the backdrop of Netanyahu’s message to Nikolay Mladenov, director-general of the Board of Peace, that Israel would lower the intensity of its operations in Gaza to give the emerging diplomatic process a chance to advance.
According to details obtained by Channel 14, the Board of Peace is expected to demand that Israel extend the period without strikes beyond the initial nine days—and that this restraint would come before Hamas surrenders even a single weapon.
Other ministers also demanded that Netanyahu reject the plan being advanced by the Board of Peace, arguing that the roadmap poses a danger to Israel.
The Cabinet meeting also came in the wake of the deaths of Harel Binstock and Tamir Vaknin, soldiers from the IDF’s 55th Brigade who fell in Lebanon. Many ministers arrived at the meeting furious over the incident and demanded an exceptionally powerful response to establish a clear red line for Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations.
Meanwhile, negotiations between Israel and Lebanon concluded Thursday without any significant breakthrough. The lack of progress may also help explain why Israel has yet to launch the powerful response demanded by ministers following the deadly incident in which the two soldiers fell.
With pressure mounting on Israel to exercise restraint in Gaza even before Hamas begins disarming, and ministers simultaneously demanding a forceful response to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the heated Cabinet confrontation underscored a growing question facing Jerusalem: how much military restraint can Israel afford while its enemies remain armed?