Israel's Minister Ben-Gvir's Family And Opposition Criticizes About Efforts To Prevent Ceasefire

Israeli military helicopters used to release hostages. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - The family of hostages and opposition leader Israel criticized far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for his remarks regarding efforts to thwart a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza.

Ben-Gvir threatened to leave the cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government if an agreement with Hamas on Gaza was agreed upon.

Drawing the deal as a handover to Hamas, Ben-Gvir urged Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to join him in a final attempt to prevent a ceasefire deal, revealing previous deterrence efforts.

"Last year, using our political power, we managed to prevent this deal from continuing, many times," he wrote, quoted by The Times of Israel January 14.

However, he said he currently had no power to stop the deal, as PM Netanyahu expanded the coalition with the joining of the New Hope Party Gideon Sa'ar.

Ben-Gvir's statement drew criticism from family members of the hostages and opposition politicians.

"He publicly admitted to stopping the deal with his own hands for political gain," Gil Dickmann, a relative of Carmel Gat, who was murdered by his kidnappers.

"If it weren't for him, Carmel would still be alive today," he said.

Meanwhile, Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Ben Gvir's comments proved his accusations that the government had not made an agreement for political reasons.

"For more than a year I have said, 'they didn't reach a hostage-taking deal for political reasons' and everyone told me this was impossible, that it was shocking, and how could I say something like that," Lapid wrote on X.

"And today Ben Gvir took out a video and said to the camera, without blinking, it was a terrible truth," he said.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt have mediated a ceasefire agreement and an agreement could be reached soon, officials said.

Yesterday, Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Israel had received the final draft of a ceasefire deal and exchange of hostages with detainees to end the latest 15-month conflict.