Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering the possibility of resigning, but he is first devising a plan to remain in position for months to come to achieve a comprehensive regional peace plan together with US President Joe Biden, said political sources.
Several polls have shown that Netanyahu's days in office are numbered.
Political sources close to Netanyahu said the plan includes a settlement for his trial on corruption charges.
The Public Prosecution began two years ago, negotiating with Netanyahu on a judicial package for his trial, where he would be convicted and sentenced to suspended imprisonment on the condition that he confess to the charges and retire from politics for seven years.
However, he refused.
The PM is considering retiring, but not immediately after the war. Following Biden's vision, he aims to achieve victory and engage in comprehensive regional negotiations.
The sources estimated that the Hamas movement will now begin bringing members of the international media to the Gaza Strip during the truce as part of an intense propaganda campaign to convey images of the destruction caused by Israel.
The movement is hoping to restore international pressure on Israel to end the fighting intensively, with a high possibility that the US will join the demand for a long-term ceasefire and begin global communications to achieve a political settlement that determines the status of the Strip.
According to Netanyahu's estimates, the centrist party, headed by Benny Gantz, will withdraw from the government, and people will launch a march on the streets demanding Netanyahu's resignation.
A source familiar with the matter said that the talks are still preliminary.
The future of the deal with Hamas and the future of the war in Gaza will affect the decision-making process, he said, adding that Netanyahu will decide based on the developments and the emerging public-political situation.
Netanyahu's office was quick to deny the reports, saying they were baseless.
The statement said Netanyahu asserts the war will not stop and is focused on completing all of the war's goals until its end: liquidating Hamas, releasing the captives, and creating a reality in which Gaza no longer threatens Israel.
Journalist Uri Misgav said Netanyahu still acts as if he is the savior of the people of Israel.
Misgav stated that Netanyahu does not understand that the Israelis view him as the problem and not the solution, adding that a person like him should be on trial for financial, political, and security corruption that brought Israel "the calamity of Oct. 7" referring to the al-Aqsa Flood operation.
The journalist asserted that Netanyahu must resign immediately and not wait until the war ends.
The Friday weekly opinion poll of Maariv newspaper indicated an additional decline in Likud seats. The party would win just 18 seats compared to the 32 it won in November 2022.
If elections were to be held in Israel today, extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's party would fail to win the 3.25 percent vote minimum to enter the Knesset.
According to the survey, parties in the current government, which together won 64 seats in November 2022, would crash to just 41 seats out of 120 if elections were to be held today, the lowest percentage the right has obtained all year.
Gantz's National Unity party has continued to rise in popularity and would secure 43 seats compared to the 12 it currently holds.
Accordingly, if elections were held for the Knesset now, the opposition parties combined in the "change" alliance merged with the Arab Hadash-Taal would soar to 79. They could form a sufficient coalition to form a government led by Gantz.
Regarding whether Netanyahu or Gantz is more suited to be prime minister, 52 percent of respondents said Gantz, and 27 percent said Netanyahu.
When the question was directed at Likud voters, 56 percent said Netanyahu should lead the country, while 26 percent said they would back Gantz.
The Arab parties are united in two blocs, each of which currently has five seats and will also obtain five seats if the elections were held today, according to the poll.
