Netanyahu wins over Zionist party for Gaza deal 'that lets war continue'

Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has managed to avert a wider rebellion over the Gaza deal with Hamas among his far-right coalition partners even as Itamar Ben-Gvir, his firebrand national security minister, branded the plan immoral.

- Peter Beaumont

Three ministers, all from BenGvir's far-right Jewish Power party, opposed the deal but members of the equally hardline Religious Zionist party were persuaded to support it after heated exchanges in an Israeli cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

The agreement with Hamas will mean 50 women and children, now held in Gaza, will be released in exchange for a four-day ceasefire and release of 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israel, with the possibility of more releases from each side for each further day there is no fighting.

The deal was made after weeks in which Netanyahu had been vocal in his opposition to any pause in Israel's military offensive against Hamas in Gaza, but there has been mounting political pressure on the prime minister, who has seen his support among voters collapse since the massacre by Hamas on 7 October.

But amid warning signs of political difficulties for Netanyhu, who depends on support from far-right parties to remain in power, Ben-Gvir criticised the deal yesterday. "We don't have the right to agree to separating them and only some of them returning. And we definitely cannot accept an outline that sees the release of female and underage terrorists when we don't get back everyone." He said the ceasefire benefited Hamas.