Netanyahu and Gallant exchange fiery words after Israeli PM prioritises stationing troops over saving hostages

The divide between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant appears to be widening.During a cabinet meeting on Thursday (Aug 29) Netanyahu informedthat he is in favour of maintaining Israeli troops in thePhiladelphi Corridor over saving the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza, according to Israeli media reports.

The stance shared by Netanyahu led to a heated debate where he wanted the top ministerial body to approve a series of maps, drawn up by the IDF to keep troops in the Philadelphi Corridor -- a narrow 14.5-km-long stretch of land along Gaza's southern border with Egypt,during the first phase of the hostage-ceasefire being negotiated.

The stance taken by Netanyahu apparently 'horrified' Gallant who said Hamas would never agree to the proposal.

“The significance of this is that Hamas won’t agree to it, so there won’t be an agreement and there won’t be any hostages released,” Gallant told ministers, according to the transcript of the meeting leaked in media.

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'I imposed?'

Gallant claimed Bibi imposed his position on the security establishment and that the maps went against his stance.

“I imposed? I imposed?” Netanyahu responded to the claims.

“Of course you did. They had their own plan. You are running the negotiations by yourself ever since the war cabinet disbanded (in June). We learn of decisions only after the fact. The negotiators sketched the maps as you wanted, but they had a different position,” added Gallant.

Angered by Gallant's opposition, Netanyahu called for an immediate vote on the maps aseight ministers voted in favour of his position. Only Gallant voted against it, representing the security apparatus’s position.

“If Sinwar presents you with the dilemma: Either you leave Philadelphi or you return the hostages, what do you do?” Gallant questioned Netanyahu.

Netanyahu responded that the imperative to keep the IDF at the corridor was of crucial importance to the state.

In the end, Gallant conceded he had lost the argument but hoped that other ministers would come around to his position. One of the ministers present in the meeting said it was one of the most intense arguments between the PM and the defence minister.

It is not the first time in recent weeks that Gallannt and Netanyahu have gone to war against each other. Previously, Netanyahu had accused Gallant ofadopting "an anti-Israel narrative" that was hurting the momentum of the forces and the ongoing talks.

Notably, Gallant was fired by Netanyahu in March 2023 after he warned about the rifts in the national security apparatus. However, owing to public protests, Gallant was reinstated two weeks later.

(With inputs from agencies)