Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Tuesday ended his boycott of government activities following Israeli army raids on the blockaded Gaza Strip.

In a written statement, Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party said: “Following the adoption of our position and a transition from containment to attack and targeted assassinations of Islamic Jihad leaders, we will return to vote with the government.”

The party’s announcement came after Israeli airstrikes on Gaza which resulted in the killing of 13 Palestinians, including women and children.

Ben-Gvir also congratulated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “on the proactive operation in Gaza,” saying: “It’s a good start, the time has come to change our policy.”

The Israeli army earlier announced Operation Shield and Arrow after launching airstrikes against Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip. It said it targeted the movement’s leadership.

Meanwhile earlier in the day, the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, said three members of its leadership and their wives and children were killed in the strikes.

Ben-Gvir on Sunday boycotted weekly Cabinet meeting in protest of government policies.

A day before the weekly Cabinet meeting, Ben-Gvir announced that his party, which has six lawmakers in the 120-member Knesset, will not vote on the government decisions in protest of Cabinet policies.

Ben-Gvir was particularly angry with what he considered a weak response by the Israeli army to rocket fire from Gaza following the death of a Palestinian hunger striker in an Israeli prison last week.

The far-right politician last December took office as national security minister in the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He holds far-right views on the Palestinians and has called for their displacement. He has repeatedly joined Israeli settlers in storming the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem. (Anadolu Agency)

Last November, Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned in a leaked audio that “the whole world is worried” about Ben-Gvir’s far-right views.

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