Israel’s Gantz breaks foot in bike ride accident

Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz was hospitalized on Monday after he broke his foot during a bike ride, according to local media.

The cycling accident occurred near Yad Mordechai settlement in southern Israel, the public broadcaster KAN reported.

Gantz, the leader of the centrist National Unity Party, was admitted to hospital for testing, his office said.

He is expected to be released to home later Monday.

The incident came days after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had a car accident in central Israel on Friday.

Gantz, a former defense minister, joined the emergency government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

Nearly 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 77,600 others injured in a deadly Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.