Benny Gantz

In January 2026, Blue and White launched a campaign for a "consensus coalition" without Itamar Ben-Gvir and without Ra’am, presenting dependence on an Arab party as a security risk. Opposition figures and members of his own camp accused Gantz of anti-Arab racism and hypocrisy.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Direct responsibility

After 7 October 2023, Gantz joined an emergency unity government and the war cabinet. He resigned in June 2024 after demanding a strategic plan for post-war Gaza and issuing Netanyahu with an ultimatum.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Political responsibility

A criminal investigation was opened into dealings between cybersecurity company Fifth Dimension, of which Benny Gantz had been chairman, and the Israeli police following criticism by the State Comptroller over a public procurement contract. The case was subsequently closed; sources reporting its closure specify that Gantz was not personally a suspect.

A Dutch Palestinian, Ismail Ziada, sued Gantz and former air force chief Amir Eshel in the Netherlands, alleging war crimes following a 2014 air strike that killed six members of his family. In 2023, the Dutch Supreme Court upheld the inadmissibility of the claim on the grounds of functional immunity.

State of the evidence

Documented

In October 2021, as Defence Minister, Gantz designated six Palestinian civil society and human rights organisations as terrorist organisations, alleging that they formed a network linked to the PFLP. The decision prompted strong international opposition and demands for additional evidence.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Political responsibility

After three elections and a campaign centred on replacing Benjamin Netanyahu, Gantz agreed in spring 2020 to a unity government and a rotating premiership. The decision caused the Blue and White alliance to split and prompted strong accusations that he had betrayed his electoral commitments.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Political responsibility

In March 2019, Israeli media reported that Shin Bet had warned Gantz that Iranian intelligence had accessed the contents of his personal telephone. The matter became a campaign issue concerning his ability to protect sensitive information.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Personally implicated

At the start of his national election campaign in 2019, Gantz released videos highlighting his record as chief of staff during the 2014 Gaza war, using the phrase that parts of Gaza had been returned to the "Stone Age", with 6,231 targets destroyed and a claimed tally of 1,364 "terrorists" killed.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Personally implicated