Alsharq Tribune-Ahmad Essam
"If this irresponsible agreement is approved and implemented, the Jewish Power party will not be part of the government and will leave it," he said at a press conference late Thursday evening, while keeping open the possibility of reversing course if the ceasefire collapsed.
"If the war against Hamas resumes, with intensity, in order to achieve the objectives of the war that have not been achieved, we will return to the government."
Ben Gvir sits on the Israeli cabinet alongside two fellow Jewish Power MPs, and contributes six members, including himself, to Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition of 68 lawmakers in the Knesset.
But even as he threatened to quit the cabinet, he said his party "will not overthrow Netanyahu".
Ben Gvir also called on far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads the Religious Zionism party, to quit.
Smotrich had said earlier in the day that the ceasefire deal was "dangerous" for Israel's security.
Following Ben Gvir's remarks, Netanyahu's Likud party said in a statement: "Whoever dismantles a right-wing government will forever be in disgrace."
The ceasefire agreement, it added, would allow Israel "to maximize the number of live hostages that will be released... (and) to achieve security successes that will guarantee Israel's security for generations to come".
Both Ben Gvir and Smotrich have repeatedly called for continuing the Israeli war on Gaza, and the former has even said that he repeatedly blocked previous attempts to reach a ceasefire.
The deal agreed on Wednesday and mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States initially provides for the release of 33 captives in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
But Ben Gvir set out an alternative approach on Thursday calling for a complete halt of aid into the Palestinian Strip.
"For the release of the hostages, humanitarian aid sent to Gaza must be completely stopped," he said, adding "stop the transfer of fuel, electricity and water".
"Only then will Hamas release our hostages without jeopardising Israel's security."
Israel is facing a case at the International Court of Justice, filed by South Africa, accusing it of committing "genocide" in the Gaza Strip, with rights groups pointing to similar statements by figures such as former defence minister Yoav Gallant -- wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Gaza -- as evidence of genocidal intent.
Much of Gaza has been levelled by Israel's brutal assault on the Palestinian territory, which has killed 46,788 people, mostly women and children, according to figures from the territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable.
