Overview

• Opposition leader Benny Gantz called on Benjamin Netanyahu, Yair Lapid and Avigdor Lieberman to form a short-term coalition dedicated to freeing roughly 50 hostages held in Gaza.
• He outlined a plan to start with a hostage agreement, pass a law integrating ultra-Orthodox Israelis into military service, and schedule elections for spring 2026.
• Together with Likud’s 32 seats, the three parties could assemble a 72-seat Knesset majority that would reduce far-right veto power over a deal with Hamas.
• Hamas has approved a mediators’ framework for a 60-day truce with phased hostage releases in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, and Netanyahu has ordered talks, though Israel has not confirmed sending a delegation.
• Tens of thousands gathered in Tel Aviv to press for the captives’ return and a deal to end the fighting.