Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners are expected to oppose a Gaza ceasefire agreement in a cabinet vote today, but the deal is still likely to pass, Israeli officials have told CNN.
Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet before chairing an expanded government meeting to approve the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war, the officials say.
The meetings will unfold amid sharp criticism from Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who are set to oppose the ceasefire deal.
Sources close to Netanyahu estimate that the six ministers from their parties will vote against the agreement.
However, Netanyahu is expected to secure a clear majority due to the support of ministers from his Likud Party. Thus, the meetings are likely to serve primarily as a pressure valve for the prime minister’s hardline political allies, who were entirely sidelined during the past two weeks of negotiations, the sources said.
The talks were conducted exclusively by Netanyahu’s office and his closest confidant and envoy, Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.
In a post on X this morning, Smotrich announced his party “will not join the premature celebrations and will not vote in favour of the deal,” citing “grave concerns about the consequences of emptying prisons and releasing the next generation of terror leadership.”
According to two Israeli sources, Netanyahu has assured Ben Gvir and Smotrich in recent days that no “symbolic figures” like Marwan Barghouti would be released as part of the agreement. The sources said that the prime minister also told his ministers Israel and the US are totally coordinated on Hamas’ disarmament and Gaza’s demilitarization “in a process carried out with us.”