Benjamin Netanyahu appealed to war cabinet minister Benny Gantz not to leave the emergency government after the successful rescue of four hostages alive from Gaza.

“This is the time for unity and not for division,” the Israeli prime minister told X. “We must remain united in the face of the great tasks before us. I call on Benny Gantz not to leave the emergency government. Don’t give up on unity.”

In a statement issued a few minutes later, Gantz responded that “along with the justified joy at the achievement, we must remember that all the challenges facing Israel remain. So I say to the prime minister and to the entire leadership — and today, we need to look responsibly at what is the best and possible way to go on from here.”