Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich resigned from his post as minister in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A spokesperson for Smotrich said on Monday the move was a protest against nationalist-religious Jewish Power party head Itamar Ben Gvir's request for more ministerial positions upon Ben Gvir's return to the government.

In a statement, the Religious Zionism party accused Ben-Gvir, head of the Otzma Yehudit party, of breaching political agreements made between him, Smotrich, and Netanyahu's ruling Likud party.

The move highlights growing fractures within Israel's far-right coalition, which has faced internal divisions on key appointments and policies in recent months.

Smotrich will return to his seat in the Knesset as a lawmaker for the far-right Religious Zionism party, which he leads.

The resignation is not likely to collapse Netanyahu's coalition. The government passed its 2025 budget in Israel's parliament last week.

Hawk, Warmonger

Since the start of the Israeli carnage in besieged Gaza, Smotrich has been obstructing all ceasefire efforts, threatening to undo the government if a truce is reached.

He also unveiled plans to annex the occupied West Bank, aiming to blur the line between occupation and annexation, circumventing international scrutiny.

"It will be easier to swallow in the international and legal context," Smotrich said last year. "So that they won't say that we are doing annexation here."

Besides the occupied West Bank, Smotrich has also advocated for the annexation of besieged Gaza and pushed for the return of illegal Zionist settlers to the blockaded enclave.

"To have security, we must control the territory (Gaza)," Smotrich said. "In order to control the territory militarily for a long time, we need a civilian presence."