Israel’s Lapid vows supports for any effort to topple Netanyahu

JERUSALEM

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid threw his support on Monday behind any move to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Yesh Atid Party will give the votes of its 24 members to any move” to remove Netanyahu, Lapid said on his X account.

Lapid’s Yesh Atid Party has 24 members in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel's parliament.

Media reports earlier said that former Defense Minister and War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz sought to enlist members of the Likud Party in efforts to replace Netanyahu.

According to Israeli Army Radio, emissaries on behalf of Gantz promised spots in a new government to officials and lawmakers from Netanyahu’s Likud Party in exchange for completing a no-confidence vote to replace him.

Various lawmakers from Netanyahu’s own party were suggested as candidates for taking over the prime ministerial role without demanding it for Gantz, the broadcaster said.

Gantz declined to comment on the report.

Calls have grown in Israel for Netanyahu to step down amid growing criticism of his handling of the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Israel launched a deadly offensive on Gaza following an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, so far killing at least 27,478 Palestinians and injuring 66,835 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza's population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara