National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on announced Friday morning: “If the ‘deal’ is approved, I will leave the government with a heavy heart and step away from an office where I have dedicated all my strength over the past two years.”
The cabinet meeting was set for 9:30 AM Friday and then postponed. The hostage deal is expected to pass the cabinet vote, and the first hostages, hopefully the living ones, to return to Israel Sunday morning, just in time for President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
“I am deeply proud of the party’s ministers and MKs who demonstrated unwavering strength and integrity, choosing to sacrifice everything rather than be complicit in this agreement,” Ben Gvir said. “Minister Wasserlauf and Minister Eliyahu are relinquishing offices where they achieved remarkable progress—I was always humbled by the praise they received. MK Fogel is stepping away from a committee where he accomplished extraordinary work, offering steadfast support to security and rescue forces and transforming it into the Knesset’s most productive forum, a true hub of legislative achievement. The talented MK Kreuzer holds significant influence on the Judicial Appointments Committee, and MK Son Har-Malech, the heart and soul of Otzma Yehudit, is also giving up an essential role. Their courageous stand, expressed through their words and votes for resignation, fills me with pride and admiration.”
Ben Gvir did not mention his party’s sixth MK, Almog Cohen, who has gone rogue in the past few months. It isn’t clear whether Cohen, who fought bravely against the Hamas marauders who invaded his hometown of Ofakim on October 7, 2023, would support the hostage deal.
ההפגנות נגד העיסקה מחריפות: כעת בכניסה לירושלים מפגינים נגד העיסקה הדליקו אש וחוסמים כעת את 2 הנתיבים. ״זה יביא ל7 לאוקטובר הבא״. תיעוד: דוב בער הכטמן. pic.twitter.com/Zj848BHM1U
— daniel amram – דניאל עמרם (@danielamram3) January 16, 2025
A large protest rally against the controversial hostage deal took place Thursday evening in front of the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. The event was spearheaded by the families of hostages from the Tikva Forum, bereaved families from the Gevura Forum, representatives of the Nachla movement, and numerous supporters voicing strong opposition to what they saw as a grave threat to the hostages and the security of the State of Israel.
The organizers emphasized that the nation faced a critical emergency, and called for decisive action to halt the dangerous deal and safeguard the country’s security.
Simultaneously, several right-wing organizations staged a massive nationwide protest on Thursday evening, urging the government to reject the proposed surrender deal and instead continue military action in the Gaza Strip until achieving a decisive victory. This victory, they emphasized, includes the complete defeat of Hamas and the return of all hostages.
Thousands of citizens gathered at intersections across the country in a coordinated demonstration titled “No to Surrender! Yes to Victory!” Organized by various right-wing social groups, the protests took place in cities and towns such as Eilat, Ashdod, Shiloh, and Nahalal. The demonstrators included bereaved families, relatives of abductees, reservists, and wounded IDF soldiers, all demanding the government halt the deal before its finalization.
Yaakov Nitzan, a bereaved father and founder of the Heroism Forum, joined the protest in Shiloh. He said, “We gathered alongside thousands across the country at dozens of intersections to warn against this deal, which stands as one of the gravest challenges Israel has faced in decades.”
“After enduring immense pain, paying in blood with the lives of our finest sons, and achieving significant efforts in Gaza—including the rescue of some abductees by our courageous IDF soldiers—we are now negotiating a lawless agreement. This deal will only return a fraction of the hostages, leaving the rest behind with a death sentence hanging over them.”