Israeli labor minister says Netanyahu will have to call early elections

Israel’s labor minister says Benjamin Netanyahu will have to call early elections right after the war.

Labor Minister Yoav Bentzur made the unusually public suggestion in remarks quoted Thursday by the Maariv daily.

Bentzur from the ultraorthodox Shas party said Netanyahu " will be forced to go to elections within 90 days, even before a commission of inquiry of some sort (into the war) is established.”

He added: "We can’t go on like this. The public will have its say, and then we will see if Netanyahu is given the mandate.”

Bentzur later tried to walk back the comments, saying they were taken out of context and don’t reflect the position of Shas, a close ally of Netanyahu.

Polls show Netanyahu's support has dropped over Hamas’ shock attack, which killed more than 1,400 and left over 240 hostage, touching off a devastating Israeli war in the militants’ Gaza Strip stronghold.