Benny Gantz is an Israeli lawmaker and current minister-without-portfolio, who currently leads the National Unity party.
He was born in Kfar Ahim, a moshav that his parents helped found. His mother was a Holocaust survivor and his father was arrested by British authorities for attempting to enter pre-state Israel.
Gantz was drafted to the IDF in 1977 and served in the 1982 Lebanon war. He also participated in Operation Solomon, a covert mission that rescued Ethiopian Jews in 1991.
After serving as the IDF's chief of staff, in 2018 Gantz announced the formation of a new political party, what would later become Blue and White. He would eventually become the country's defense minister before joining the opposition and then rejoining an emergency government due to the war against Hamas.
He earned a history degree from Tel Aviv University, a Political Science masters degree from Haifa University and a National Resource Management master’s degree from the United States National Defense University.
He and his wife, Revital, live in Rosh Ha’ayin.
Defense officials agreed to meet hostages' families before the war cabinet meeting, following their urgent request for updates on efforts to return all hostages.
Several party leaders called on Minister-without-Portfolio Benny Gantz to quit the government.
Netanyahu knows better than all of us how much damage his rotten and toxic alliance with the extremists causes Israel. Yet he continues to lead us to the abyss.
Readers of The Jerusalem Post have their say.
The question is whether we can somehow remain united despite our real differences in positions on many pertinent issues.
In Washington, the US president and his team watched closely as Gallant and Gantz appeared before the media and the Israeli people, making statements and ultimatums to Netanyahu.
The Knesset summer session recesses on July 28 for nearly three months, with Gantz’s June 8 deadline giving him enough time to try to force an election before the recess.
Protesters will drive in convoys around the country Monday morning, slowing traffic by driving at the lowest speed allowed by law, and protesters will also march to the Knesset.
The first Lebanon war bears a tragic resemblance to events in Israel and Gaza today.
Whether Benny Gantz is bluffing or not, one thing is certain: Come June 8, Israel's way forward on the southern and northern fronts of the war will be much clearer.
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