Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich slams international pressure and calls for full Gaza conquest, declaring economic strangulation key to defeating Hamas and securing hostages’ return.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich delivered a fiery response Wednesday night to reports that his ministry had allocated 3 billion shekels for humanitarian aid to Gaza — making clear that his only priority is total victory over Hamas, not the welfare of Gazans.
“The Gazans don’t interest me. What interests me is victory and the complete destruction of Hamas,” Smotrich declared, brushing off critics from Europe, Hamas, and Israel’s political left. “Everyone wants us to stop — I want to finish this war the only way that matters: with absolute victory. Not only is it possible — it’s essential. And we will do it.”
Dismissing the notion that tanks alone could win the war, Smotrich reiterated his long-standing call for a full-scale economic siege on Gaza:
“I’ve been shouting this since day one — Hamas isn’t broken with tanks alone. We must cut off the aid, isolate them from the population, and strangle them economically. If they had listened to me months ago, we’d be done by now, and we’d have saved tens of billions.”
According to Smotrich, the war has already cost Israel 300 billion shekels, and he’s currently advancing a security package in the Knesset — one that includes a dedicated fund for Israeli-controlled humanitarian aid.
“If we must, we’ll finance the aid ourselves — not to help Hamas, but to control the flow. We can’t keep sending trucks into enemy hands funded by international actors.”
Smotrich expressed hope that the next stage will be full military occupation of Gaza, declaring:
“We need a clear decision — storm Gaza, conquer it, defeat Hamas militarily. But without the economic noose, there’s no path to victory. This is how we bring our hostages home. This is how we win.”
His remarks underscore growing divisions within the Israeli leadership — and growing impatience with what many on the right see as half-measures that allow Hamas to regroup while hostages remain in captivity and the war drags on.Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich delivered a fiery response Wednesday night to reports that his ministry had allocated 3 billion shekels for humanitarian aid to Gaza — making clear that his only priority is total victory over Hamas, not the welfare of Gazans.
“The Gazans don’t interest me. What interests me is victory and the complete destruction of Hamas,” Smotrich declared, brushing off critics from Europe, Hamas, and Israel’s political left. “Everyone wants us to stop — I want to finish this war the only way that matters: with absolute victory. Not only is it possible — it’s essential. And we will do it.”
Dismissing the notion that tanks alone could win the war, Smotrich reiterated his long-standing call for a full-scale economic siege on Gaza:
“I’ve been shouting this since day one — Hamas isn’t broken with tanks alone. We must cut off the aid, isolate them from the population, and strangle them economically. If they had listened to me months ago, we’d be done by now, and we’d have saved tens of billions.”
According to Smotrich, the war has already cost Israel 300 billion shekels, and he’s currently advancing a security package in the Knesset — one that includes a dedicated fund for Israeli-controlled humanitarian aid.
“If we must, we’ll finance the aid ourselves — not to help Hamas, but to control the flow. We can’t keep sending trucks into enemy hands funded by international actors.”
Smotrich expressed hope that the next stage will be full military occupation of Gaza, declaring:
“We need a clear decision — storm Gaza, conquer it, defeat Hamas militarily. But without the economic noose, there’s no path to victory. This is how we bring our hostages home. This is how we win.”
His remarks underscore growing divisions within the Israeli leadership — and growing impatience with what many on the right see as half-measures that allow Hamas to regroup while hostages remain in captivity and the war drags on.
