Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that Israel must retake control of northern Gaza and issue an ultimatum, threatening to stay there permanently, as a tactic to pressure Hamas into releasing the hostages it is holding.
The far-right minister’s remarks were made during a month of intense Israeli military activity in northern Gaza, which has displaced tens of thousands of residents as Israeli forces press their assault on Hamas. His comments also coincided with warnings that the hostages, now held for over a year, may not survive another winter.
“To return the hostages, we must occupy the entire northern Gaza Strip and make it clear to Hamas that if they do not bring the hostages home safe and sound, we will apply Israeli sovereignty there permanently, causing Gaza to lose a third of its territory,” Smotrich said at the Knesset, before his Religious Zionism party’s weekly meeting. He claimed this approach would motivate Hamas to preserve the hostages’ lives.
Smotrich also stated, “With Hamas, we cannot negotiate an agreement to end the war, as that would mean surrender and defeat.” He argued that Israel must “continue until Hamas is eradicated or agrees to terms of surrender.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on the same day, “The only thing Hamas wants is a deal that ends the war and results in the IDF leaving the Strip, so they can return to power. I am not prepared to allow that under any circumstance.”
This hardline stance comes despite surveys indicating that most Israelis favor a hostage deal even if it means halting the conflict. A Channel 12 poll released over the weekend found that 69 percent of respondents prioritized the hostages’ return over continuing the war.
Smotrich expressed confidence that, with sufficient support, Hamas could be defeated. “Together with the separation of fronts [from Hezbollah in Lebanon], and the freedom and backing we hope to receive from the Trump administration, we can defeat Hamas and safely bring home the hostages,” he said.
President-elect Donald Trump, who has urged the U.S. to support Israel in “finishing the job” in Gaza, has reportedly set a timeline for Israel to conclude its operations before his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
Since Hamas’s deadly assault on October 7, Smotrich has repeatedly voiced support for annexing Gaza and restoring Israeli settlements there. He attended an event last month where participants advocated reestablishing settlements and, in some cases, suggested expelling Palestinians from the area. En route to the event, Smotrich said that Gaza is “part of the Land of Israel” and insisted that “without settlements, there is no security.”
At another gathering in October, Smotrich argued that extending Israeli sovereignty to Gaza was essential for maintaining the gains from the war. He claimed that Hamas’s attack might have been averted had troops and settlements still been stationed inside Gaza.
These remarks come amid an extensive Israeli operation to dismantle Hamas in northern Gaza. Last month, Israel instructed approximately 400,000 residents in the northern third of the territory to move south. Critics allege that humanitarian aid was blocked for weeks, though it was eventually allowed in under U.S. and international pressure.
The Israeli Defense Ministry’s COGAT agency attributed the aid reduction in October to border closures for Jewish holidays and events commemorating the Hamas attack that initiated the war.
The U.S. warned Israel on October 13 that it had 30 days to improve humanitarian aid access or risk violating American laws prohibiting the supply of offensive weapons to nations restricting such aid. The letter reportedly urged Israel to clarify that it was not seeking to isolate northern Gaza under the so-called General’s Plan, which envisions laying siege to the area to prevent Hamas’s resurgence. Prime Minister Netanyahu has declined to disavow the plan, citing pressure from coalition partners.
Out of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 97 are believed to remain in Gaza, including 34 confirmed deceased, according to the IDF. Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015, as well as the remains of two IDF soldiers killed in 2014.
{Matzav.com}
