Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesperson, Ziv Agmon, resigned in a statement published on Wednesday evening.
Agmon's resignation follows on from Israeli journalist Amit Segal revealing racist comments written by Agmon in the past, particularly against Moroccans.
"It's not good that they opened Morocco to Israeli tourism, now we know where our Moroccans came from. From Africa. A baboon is a monkey," Agmon wrote, according to Segal.
"[MK Nissim] Vaturi is a baboon, [MK Eliyahu] Revivo is a r******* Moroccan. It's not clear how these people are elected to the Knesset. [MK] Eli Dellal is a clown. What [a bunch of] baboons," Agmon also wrote.
All three MKs mentioned are members of Netanyahu's Likud party.
Agmon also claimed that the haredi Shas party, largely formed of Jews from a Middle Eastern and North African background, "only know how to take money."
PMO spox. Agmon issues resignation statement denying racist intent
"Unfortunately, last week, a person with whom I had a long-standing friendship decided to share excerpts from our private conversations, the vast majority of which took place before I took the position in the Prime Minister's Office," he wrote.
"These quotes were taken out of context, and their entire purpose was to create a character assassination of me and to harm the PM whom I serve. The reports about me are as far removed from who I am as the East is from the West," he continued.
"The attempt to attribute racist motives against the Moroccan public to my words is ridiculous in light of the fact that my nuclear family has Moroccan roots. The attempt to take fragments of sentences from personal and private conversations, most of which were made years ago, to make them public and present them as current and official positions of their spokesperson must be condemned. Nevertheless, I deeply regret the things that have been attributed to me," he stated.
"When I discovered that I had been brought to the forefront against my will, and a divisive discourse was created around me, I decided to inform the Prime Minister of the end of my duties and retirement from public life," he added.
"Agmon has not been the PMO's spokesperson for a while, but is in line for the chief of staff role," a source close to Netanyahu told Maariv.
"In general, I was very surprised by the announcement. There were no signs of his departure - and it is not final yet," the source added.
"In Israel, and in the Likud movement in particular, there is no place for racism. Our legacy is founded on unity and shared destiny. The serious statements revealed tonight by Amit Segal deserve every condemnation. They are contrary to the values of the movement, which represents the people of Israel in all its facets. Just as we expect and work to erase unacceptable racism from the legal system, we must also eradicate it from within ourselves. The Likud movement will continue to be a home for all citizens of Israel," Justice Minister Yariv Levin said in reaction to the announcement.