We start with breaking news out of the Middle East. A short time ago, Benny Gantz, a key Minister of the Israeli War cabinet, announced that he is quitting the emergency government.

We leave the government, the emergency government, with heavy heart but complete heart. We stand to gain for the campaign for Israel for generations in order to get real victory. We are going to go for elections, and at the end of it, we'll have a government that will have the confidence of the people Welcome.

Gantz's resignation marks a pivotal moment in Israel's war against Hamas, and a major blow to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was facing mounting pressure to end the conflict in Gaza. His departure comes just a day after Netanyahu failed to meet Gantz's ultimatum, which was calling for a postwar plan in Gaza by June eighth. Gantz delayed his announcement after Israeli forces rescued four hostages from Hamas militants in Gaza. Gantz was to make his announcement yesterday, which was that deadline of June eighth, but instead had it today. Cnn has correspondence tracking all of these developments around the world. Let's begin with CNN's Paula Hancox live for us in Tel Aviv. Paula. So Gantz had been facing pressure to stay in place in recent days. Netanyahu publicly asking him to stay. Even members of the Biden administration were urging him to stay. So why did he come to this decision?

Well, Fred, what he said in that statement just a little earlier this Sunday evening was that with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu at the helm, that the state of Israel could not be victorious. He said that Israel needed somebody who put the hostages ahead of politics. Now, he has been very critical of Benjamin Netanyahu in recent months. Just last month, he said that if there weren't certain conditions that were met, then he was going to have to walk away from the emergency government. Now, those conditions were a definitive and decisive plan to get the hostages back. We know that Gantz has been very vocal about his support for the proposal that's on the table at the moment, the proposal that US and Israeli officials are waiting for an official response from Hamas for. He also said he wants to have a day after strategy. So the day after the war ends, what exactly is the plan for Gaza. Now, Netanyahu has been very vague over recent months when it comes to that. And then he also wanted a plan to calm down the situation on the northern border with Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon, saying that there are of thousands of Israeli residents who want to be able to move back to their homes.

They've been evacuated for many months now because of tensions there. So he has said that those were the reasons he needed to step down. Now, what this means, it doesn't mean that the government collapses. Netanyahu still has a slim majority, so can continue. But it does mean that he is far more isolated now, both domestically and internationally. We know that he has a very a far-right element to his coalition, and Gantt had been seen as a counterweight to that. He was a key member of the war cabinet. There were three members that were the main members of that, the Prime Minister, the defense Minister and Benny Gantz. So a third of that key war cabinet has now stepped down. And we know that the far right wing of Ben Gevier, for example, the Minister for National Security, wants to be part of that war cabinet. So there is a fear that there could be less of a counterweight to the far-right element, and that is certainly not welcome here for many in Israel. He is a popular figure, Benny Gantz. We've also heard as well, though, fears of what this means for the hostage deal, the ceasefire deal that is on the table at this point.

We've had a statement from the group that represents the families of those that are being held hostage, and they say they hope it won't make a difference to deal. That deal remains as it is, and they hope that it will be signed and agreed to very quickly. Fred.

All right, Paula. Thank you so much. Let's go now to CNN's Ben Wiedemann in Beirut. Ben, officials in Gaza claim Israel's raid left more than 270 people dead. But Israel disputing that number, saying the casualties were under 100. What is the reaction like where you are?

Well, certainly, I think across Across the Middle East, across the Arab world, there's one of shock at the high number of casualties as a result of that operation that happened yesterday. Now, we did get a breakdown from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza Of that 274 dead yesterday, they said 64 of the dead were children, 57 were women, and 37 were elderly people. And certainly from the video we saw yesterday, there were a lot of wounded children and women among those being treated in the hospitals in the central part of Gaza. And of course, keep in mind that many of the people who had taken refuge in Ra'afa, in the far south of the Gaza Strip, had moved north because of Israel's operation there. So the Nusairat Refugee Camp was teeming with people who thought they would be safe. And of course, The operation took place at 11:00 in the morning on a Saturday when people were out and about. There was a market nearby where many of the Israeli ordnance landed, and that would explain why there's such a high death toll. Of course, people who were there describe a scene that was absolutely horrific.

A crazy bombardment started hitting everywhere, something we never witnessed before. Maybe 150 rockets fell in less than 10 minutes. While we were running away, more fell on the market.. There are children torn apart and scattered in the streets. They wiped out Nuzerat. It is hell on Earth.

The worry, of course, now is that after this operation, where Prime Minister Netanyahu can brag that military action brought about the freedom of some of the hostages, that perhaps Israel will be putting that 31st of May Biden ceasefire proposal on the back burner and will continue with the military option. Raderika.

All right. Ben Wiedemann in Beirut. Thank you so much. On to CNN's Priscilla Alvarez now in Wilmington, Delaware, where President Biden will soon be returning following his overseas trip. Priscilla, how is the White House reacting to the news of Benny Gantz's departure?

Well, the White House is not commenting on it at this point, but we do know that US officials had been concerned about his departure, jeopardizing those ongoing hostage and ceasefire negotiations. And behind the scenes, US officials had been urging him not to leave the government, making the case that it could impact those ongoing talks. And of course, Benny had visited Washington before. He had met in March with Vice President Kamala Harris and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to talk about the ongoing ceasefire negotiations and also the day after planning for Gaza. Now, that was in opposition to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And the White House defended those talks at the time, saying that it was appropriate given his position and that the discussions were focused on the Israel Hamas war. Now, of course, leading up to today, the other question was whether or not President Biden's proposal for the release of hostages in exchange for that ceasefire would reverse his decision. He had outlined that on May 31st, that those three phases and really put pressure on Israel and all of the parties involved to reach an agreement. But we now know today that that did not reverse his decision, and as said, Bennegance is departing the government.

This also, of course, coming on the heels of the operation that you just heard Ben talk about, that rescue operation that occurred yesterday. Now, today, the National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, was asked about that on CNN, and whether the US was comfortable given the toll on civilians. Take a listen to what he had to say.

The President himself has said in recent days that the Palestinian people are going through sheer hell in this conflict because Hamas is operating in a way that puts them in the crossfire, that holds hostages right in the heart of crowded civilian areas. Unfortunately, we are going to continue to see ongoing conflict and military operations in which Israel makes efforts to recover its citizens, and frankly, to recover American citizens. What we would much prefer to see is a ceasefire where the hostages come out peacefully.

So you heard the National Security Advisor there continuing to push for a diplomatic solution. That is what we continue to hear from senior US officials across the board. Of course, the President currently on his way back from France to hear Wilmington, Delaware, where reporters will have a chance to ask him questions about this latest news. Fred.

All right, Priscilla Alvarez. Thank you so much.