Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman said that he resigns from his post over the cabinet's decision to accept a ceasefire ending two days of fighting with Palestinian militants in Gaza.
"Yes, I resign from the post of the Israeli minister of defense," he said. Lieberman’s speech was broadcast by Israel’s main TV channels.
Lieberman, the leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, denounced the move as "surrendering to terror". He also criticised attempts to broker a long-term truce with the Hamas group, BBC reported.
Hamas, which dominates Gaza, and other Palestinian militant groups announced on Tuesday afternoon that they had accepted an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire and would abide by it if Israel did too.
Israel's security cabinet initially said only that it was ordering the military to continue its operations as required, but Lieberman and another minister appeared to confirm it had agreed to accept a ceasefire when they denied supporting it.
The ceasefire was largely holding on Wednesday and schools and businesses in southern Israel reopened after no rocket attacks were reported overnight.
Lieberman, a former foreign minister, received the defense portfolio in May 2016.
