Israel minister Ben-Gvir quits govt over Gaza deal

Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir resigned Sunday in protest against the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, according to Israeli media reports.

Ben-Gvir's far-right, ultra-nationalist Otzma Yehudit party, which holds six seats in the 120-seat Knesset, will leave the governing oalition, according to the reports.

Ben-Gvir had long voiced resistance against a cease-fire deal with Hamas, threatening to exit the government.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing religious government will continue to hold a razor-thin majority in parliament despite the exit of Otzma Yehudi with 62 seats.

The premier would lose his majority, however, if Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has also vociferously opposed a cease-fire, were to follow suit.

His Religious Zionism party holds seven seats in the Knesset.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid has announced that he would be willing to provide Netanyahu with a "safety net" in parliament for a hostage deal in such a case.

Following months of stalemate in the 15-month Gaza war, a three-stage cease-fire agreement between Israel and Palestinian resistance group Hamas was brokered earlier this week.

The first phase of the deal had been expected to go into effect at 8:30 a.m. (06:30 a.m. GMT) but was delayed after the Israeli military accused Hamas of failing to provide the names of the three hostages set to be released first.

During an initial six-week pause to fighting, 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza are set to be released in exchange for 1,904 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, while the Israeli army is to withdraw from densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip.