Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of steering the country into a "political catastrophe," citing efforts to prolong the genocide in besieged Gaza.
"This government has led us into a political catastrophe. One failure after another," Lapid wrote on X on Tuesday.
He criticised the prime minister for being "absent from the political arena" and described Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar as "useless," adding that Cabinet ministers "endanger Israeli soldiers every time they open their mouths."
It came amid growing frustration about the continued genocidal war in Gaza and the failure to reach a deal to end it and return hostages.
The opposition and families of captives have accused Netanyahu of yielding to the most extreme elements in his Cabinet, particularly National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Critics have said Netanyahu is prolonging the carnage to preserve his governing coalition.
Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, said in a video statement on Tuesday that Netanyahu had effectively lost control of his government.
"This is no longer Netanyahu's government," said Golan. "This is the government of Smotrich and Ben-Gvir."
"Smotrich and Ben-Gvir represent the most extreme fringe of Israeli society," he said. "They are setting government policy today, sending our sons to die on the battlefield, sabotaging hostage release deals, and dragging this war on indefinitely."
Israel's genocide in Gaza
Israel has killed over 60,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in its carnage in the blockaded enclave.
Some 11,000 Palestinians are feared buried under rubble of annihilated homes, according to Palestine's official WAFA news agency.
Experts, however, contend that the actual death toll significantly exceeds what the Gaza authorities have reported, estimating it could be around 200,000.
Over the course of the genocide, Israel has reduced most of the blockaded enclave to ruins, and practically displaced all of its population.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
