On Wednesday, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and considered that "the absolute majority of Israelis will be happy" if he resigns.

This attack was witnessed by a session of the Knesset (Parliament), which was held after 40 representatives (out of 120) signed a summons for Netanyahu in a session to discuss the overall situation in Israel.

The session ended with 56 deputies approving Netanyahu’s speech and 51 deputies approving the opposition’s speech, according to the Hebrew Channel 13.

In his speech, Netanyahu claimed that “in the Middle East, the strong are valued, not the weak, and the more we continue to apply pressure, the more Hamas will concede more and more.”

He continued: "This is the only way to free the kidnapped people (the Israeli prisoners in Gaza). If the matter had been in the hands of the opposition, it would have surrendered a long time ago and Muhammad al-Deif (the military commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades) would have emerged victorious."

With American support, Israel has been waging a war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in more than 128,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing persons.

Netanyahu added: “We are making progress towards achieving the goals of the war, eliminating Hamas, and promising that Gaza will not pose a threat to Israel, thanks to military and political pressure.”

However, evidence shows that despite the passage of about 10 months since the start of its war on Gaza, Israel is unable to achieve any of its declared goals, especially recovering prisoners from the Gaza Strip and eliminating the capabilities of Hamas.

On a daily basis, Hamas announces the killing and wounding of Israeli soldiers and the destruction of military vehicles throughout Gaza, and from time to time fires rockets at Israel, and broadcasts video clips documenting some of its operations.

During the session, Netanyahu renewed his refusal to form an official investigation committee into the October 7 attack before the end of the war, saying: “I cannot do both things at the same time.”

On that day, Palestinian factions attacked 11 military bases and 22 settlements adjacent to Gaza, killing and capturing Israelis. In response to "the daily crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people and their sanctities, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque," according to the factions.

The fate of the deal

In front of the Knesset, Lapid responded to Netanyahu, saying: “You said: In the Middle East, only the strong are appreciated. If this is true, then why did Hamas invade the lands of Israel during your reign?!”

He continued, criticizing Netanyahu: “You are not a victim. You live in two villas at state expense, with a convoy of black armored Audi 8 cars.”

He added: "If it is difficult for you, you are welcome to resign. The absolute majority of Israelis will be very happy."

The opposition accuses Netanyahu of following policies that serve his personal interests, especially continuing his position, and failing to achieve the declared goals of the war, especially eliminating Hamas and returning prisoners.

For months, Netanyahu has been rejecting calls for the resignation of his government and holding early elections, which he claims would “paralyze the state” and freeze prisoner exchange negotiations for a period of up to 8 months.

Lapid added: “Mr. Prime Minister, will you announce next week (on July 24) in your speech to the US Congress that you agree to a hostage deal?”

He continued: "If you are not going to do that, then do not go to Washington. Do not go give a speech in the air conditioner, while the kidnapped people die of suffocation in the Gaza tunnels."

With the mediation of Egypt and Qatar and the participation of the United States, Israel and Hamas have been conducting faltering indirect negotiations for months to conclude a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

Hamas and the rest of the factions accuse Israel and the United States of not wanting to end the war now, and of trying to buy time through negotiations, in the hope that Netanyahu will achieve gains in the fighting.