Blue and White Chairman MK Benny Gantz is close to finalizing a merger of his party with at least two candidates who have announced their intention to run in the upcoming elections: Brig. Gen. (res.) Dedi Simchi and economist Yaron Zelicha. Sources involved in the details between the parties said these are serious contacts that will likely "ripen into a merger in the coming days." In the Change Bloc, they claim that Gantz's contacts with key figures on the Israeli right are proof that Gantz is already aligned with Netanyahu in the upcoming elections. "Gantz is connecting with Netanyahu's proxies," said a source in the Change Bloc.

