An Israeli tank is seen near the Shalom Kerem crossing in southern Israel bordering the Gaza Strip, on May 6, 2024. Israeli media reported on Monday that Israel's war cabinet has approved the launch of a ground offensive on Rafah that would take place after the civil population is evacuated.(Photo: Xinhua)

Israel's war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he will withdraw from the cabinet if his vision was not met by June 8, media reported Sunday.

Chinese experts said that the significant increase in internal pressure may lead Netanyahu to offer a compromise, but concessions would be limited.

Gantz's warning, which he gave during a televised news briefing on Saturday, came just a few days after Israel's defense minister Yoav Gallant, also a member of the war cabinet, said that he would oppose the establishment of Israel's rule in the post-war Gaza Strip. Outside the government, Israeli people have also started many rallies calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

It is clear that there is a significant division among political factions within Israel regarding this war, Zhu Yongbiao, executive director of the Research Center for the Belt and Road at Lanzhou University, told the Global Times on Sunday. He said it is a situation that often arises when a war continues to drag on without achieving its strategic objectives. 

"Such division is likely to further widen, considering the increasing costs of the war for Israel, which may become unsustainable in the future," he said. 

While the infighting among cabinet members may not lead to a drastic change in the situation in Gaza, Zhu believes it will force Netanyahu to reconsider his strategy.

For one thing, the domestic pressure Netanyahu is facing is not a recent development, he said. "At the same time, his options seem limited. If he gives in this time, all the images he has previously set up and all the goals he has established may have been in vain, which could seriously affect his political status."

"After the war began, the Israeli government chose to form a coalition cabinet, a decision that reflects Netanyahu's desire not to completely lose the support of other political factions," Zhu remarked. "If the likes of Gantz and Gallant really do leave the unity cabinet, Netanyahu will face even greater pressure in managing domestic resources and other aspects."

At the same time, observers also noted that the situation of this war is at risk of further spiraling out of control after the US irresponsibly showed unconditional support for Israel once again recently.

Since the latest round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, Israel has been bombing and launching a ground offensive in Gaza, killing over 35,000 people and displacing most of the 2.3 million population in the Palestinian enclave so far.