Minister-without-portfolio Benny Gantz announced his resignation from the emergency government during a press conference on Sunday evening.

Gantz had previously declared on May 18 that his party would leave the government on June 8 if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not meet six specific objectives: returning the hostages; demolishing Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip; providing a governing alternative in the Strip; returning residents of the North to their homes by September 1 and rehabilitating the western Negev; promoting normalization with Saudi Arabia; and adopting a plan for standardized national service in which all Israelis serve the country.

Yesterday, Netanyahu urged Gantz to stay in the government.

“We must remain united within ourselves against the big missions that stand in front of us,” Netanyahu said. “I call on Benny Gantz – don’t leave the emergency government. Don’t give up on unity.”