Israel's Netanyahu fears rebellion in his own Likud Party: Report

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, fears that growing frustration within his Likud Party could lead to a joint effort with the opposition to oust him, according to local media on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Opposition leader, Yair Lapid, notably said on Monday that his Yesh Atid Party is ready to vote in favour of replacing Netanyahu with Yuli Edelstein of the Likud Party, or with Benny Gantz or Gadi Eisenkot, both from the Blue and White opposition party.

As he tries to contain the situation, Netanyahu attempts to re-appoint ministers who resigned under Norwegian Law, citing the closure of unnecessary ministries, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.

Under Norwegian Law in Israel, a Knesset member who obtains a ministerial portfolio gives up his seat in the Knesset (parliament) to a party member who ran in the elections and was unable to win a seat.

“In recent days, fears have grown of a rebellion against Netanyahu in the Likud Party and of a joint move with the opposition to oust him,” the newspaper said.

“Criticisms of the party and the ruling coalition by Likud members have increased amid attempts to make a move against Netanyahu,” it added.

On Monday, Lapid said Netanyahu “is not qualified to lead the country”.

Calls have grown for holding fresh elections in Israel amid criticism of Netanyahu over his failure to acknowledge responsibility for a cross-border attack by Hamas on 7 October.

Opinion polls conducted by Israeli media in the past few days suggested that, if early elections were held now, Netanyahu would be unable to form a government, while Gantz is considered the most likely to succeed.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since Hamas’s 7 October attacks, killing at least 23,210 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 59,167 others, according to local health authorities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas offensive.

However, since then, it has been revealed by Haaretz that helicopters and tanks of the Israeli army had, in fact, killed many of the 1,139 soldiers and civilians claimed by Israel to have been killed by the Palestinian Resistance.

About 85 per cent of Gazans have been displaced, while all of them are food insecure, according to the UN. Hundreds of thousands of people are living without shelter, and less than half of aid trucks are entering the Territory before the start of the conflict.

READ: 100 lawyers in Chile call on ICC to probe Netanyahu for war crimes in Gaza