Ben-Gvir reappointed Israel's national security officer amid deadly Gaza air strikes

Far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir was reappointed as the country’s national security officer last night, just hours after Israel reneged on the Gaza ceasefire deal and launched an intensive bombing campaign on the enclave. is set to rejoin Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition after previously resigning in protest over a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit Party and Netanyahu’s Likud Party announced the move today, just hours after Israel carried out its deadliest air strikes on Gaza since a ceasefire that had lasted more than two months.

The Government, last night, unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to reappoint MK Itamar Ben-Gvir as National Security Minister, MK Amichay Eliahu as Heritage Minister and MK Isaac Wasserlauf as Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister.

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 19, 2025

“Likud and Otzma Yehudit have agreed that the Otzma Yehudit faction will return to the Israeli government today, and the ministers of Otzma Yehudit will return to the government,” the parties said in a joint statement.

His return strengthens Netanyahu’s coalition, which had been left with a narrow parliamentary majority following his departure.

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However Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara told Netanyahu that it was legally “not possible” to once again appoint Ben-Gvir as national security minister. She provided no further details on her legal opinion.

Ben-Gvir and other Otzma Yehudit ministers submitted their resignations to Netanyahu on 19 January in protest of the ceasefire agreement and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails—a move they vehemently opposed. “From this time onwards, the Otzma Yehudit Party is not a member of the coalition,” the party declared at the time.

During his resignation, Ben-Gvir also called for a complete halt to humanitarian aid, fuel, electricity, and water entering Gaza, arguing that these measures should be used as leverage to secure the release of captives held by Hamas.

Meanwhile, the number of Palestinians killed by the intensive Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday has exceeded 425, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

These massacres coincided with the continued stifling blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has exacerbated the deteriorating humanitarian situation, especially with the shortage of medical supplies and the collapse of the health sector due to the ongoing aggression.

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