Photo: Netanyahu urged the Israeli army to continue its attack on Gaza. Photo shows Gaza children injured in an Israeli attack on the 16th. \AFP

According to the Times of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announced on the 16th that the wartime cabinet has been officially dissolved and a new one will not be formed. He explained that the wartime cabinet was formed after the outbreak of the current round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the request of Gantz, the leader of Israel’s main opposition National Unity Party, and after reaching a consensus with him, but Gantz announced his withdrawal from the wartime cabinet on the 9th.

Netanyahu announced the official dissolution of the wartime cabinet at a security cabinet meeting on the evening of the 16th. According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Galant will hold small-scale temporary consultations with other relevant officials on combat issues and make key decisions, which will then be submitted to the security cabinet for final approval. The wartime cabinet was established in October last year, and its core members include Netanyahu, Gantz and Galant. On the 9th of this month, Gantz announced his withdrawal due to serious differences with Netanyahu on issues such as the post-war plan for the Gaza Strip, and called for early elections.

On the 16th, the Israeli Defense Forces announced a “tactical suspension of military activities” near a material transportation route in southern Gaza to facilitate the entry and exit of humanitarian aid. This move was welcomed by the international community, but Netanyahu claimed that he knew “nothing” about it in advance and criticized the move as “unacceptable.” An Israeli official revealed that Netanyahu immediately contacted military officials and asked the Israeli army to guarantee that it would continue to attack Rafah. Far-right politician and Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir called on the officials who made the “tactical suspension” decision to resign. Earlier analysis pointed out that after Gantz, the representative of the center-left forces, parted ways with Netanyahu, Netanyahu would rely more on the far-right forces.