Why I’m calling for a temporary ‘hostage redemption government’ in Israel

Fifty hostages are still held in Gaza. Their absence is an open wound in the heart of every Israeli family – and of the Jewish people around the world. In our tradition, there is no commandment more sacred than pidyon shvuyim, the redemption of captives. I have sat with these brave families, heard their pain, and promised one thing: I will do everything in my power to bring their loved ones back. As the son of Holocaust survivors, the images of Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski in Gaza’s tunnels were a painful reminder of the frail state of my late mother, Malka, when she was liberated from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Every day that our brothers and sisters remain in captivity tests our resolve, our moral compass, and our resilience.

And yet, while we struggle to bring them home, we are confronted with an additional complexity. Israel is in the midst of catalysing a historic regional “Strategic Flip” against the Iranian Shi’a axis of Evil – having eliminated for the foreseeable future its nuclear capabilities and now systematically working towards eliminating its proxies, including Hamas in Gaza. To confront these threats, Israel must remain strong. That begins with ensuring our Israel Defense Forces have the strength they need to defend the country on every front. Strength today is not only about advanced systems or precision strikes; it is about people and their purpose.

We ask of our young men and women to stand guard at great personal expense and protect our homeland, but they, in return, justly ask of us to enlist all those eligible. The IDF today is deployed in multiple arenas, and we cannot ignore the need for greater national participation in our collective defence. The ultra-orthodox are our brothers, and like in every family, difficult conversations are due. The contribution and sacrifice of the diaspora in that regard have been extraordinary. I am committed to facilitating inclusive frameworks within the IDF to accommodate diverse walks of life, notably the haredi way – but goodwill must be met with goodwill. No longer can whole sectors of society be exempt from sharing the burden of our collective security.

I have profound disagreements with Prime Minister Netanyahu; I seek to replace him. But when the lives of our people and the security of our state are at stake, politics must not come first. Israel’s internal and external strategic challenges today remain too crucial to be tackled under divided leadership. Our Jewish brothers and sisters continue to suffer at the hands of antisemitic violence in London, Paris, Los Angeles, and Sydney while Israel’s friends abroad continue making the devastating mistake of rewarding and incentivising terror by Palestinian recognition.

That is why I have called for the creation of a temporary “hostage redemption government”, an emergency coalition focused solely on bringing our hostages home and securing equitable solutions to strengthen the IDF’s manpower crisis before an agreed-upon election date. I am committed to ensuring that Israel’s historic achievements since October 7 are reflected in our national unity and by extension demonstrated in our politics – in forceful rebuke of the populist radicals among us.

I will always do what is best for the State of Israel, regardless of how it affects me, Netanyahu, or any other leader. That is my promise to the people of Israel – and to the Jewish people around the globe in such need of a united front facing the challenges of these trying times.

Benny Gantz, a former Defense Minister and Chief of the General Staff, is the leader of the Blue and White party in the Knesset