Israel’s extreme right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a complete occupation of the Gaza Strip and, if necessary, Israel’s military rule.
“This is the way to keep us safe, this is the way to take hostages home,” he wrote on X platform late Saturday.
He agreed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that the Gaza war must not end without the complete defeat of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and its expulsion from the Gaza Strip.
On Saturday, Netanyahu reiterated his position in the recorded video address.
“We will not end the ‘Rebirth War’ until we destroy Hamas in Gaza, return to all of our hostages and ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” the Prime Minister declared.
According to Israeli information, there are currently 24 living hostages and 35 kidnappers’ bodies in the Gaza Strip. Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are currently at a standstill on the ceasefire.
The Gaza war was triggered by an Israeli attack on Israel and other extremist groups on October 7, 2023, with about 1,200 people killed and more than 250 Israelis were taken hostage and detained in the Gaza Strip.
Since then, about 51,000 people have been killed, a large proportion of them women and children, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Authority in the Gaza Strip. This information cannot be verified independently, which cannot distinguish between combatants and civilians.
