ALBAWABA - Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that his Religious Zionist Party would not agree to halt the fighting in Gaza and advocated for Israeli military control of the enclave after the war.
During a meeting with his party at the Knesset, Smotrich said "halting the war in Gaza for two months would mean losing the Israeli army’s achievements there and would allow the Palestinian group Hamas to restore its rule, enabling terrorism to enter the enclave again once the army withdraws" Israeli Channel 12 reported.
"There will be a military administration in Gaza the day after the war … We [the Israeli cabinet] all agree we must stay in Gaza," Smotrich further stated.
Smotrich stated that he does not oppose having a "moderate party to govern Gaza" but "there is no such party," he continued.
Smotrich further said that he and the Israeli cabinet oppose the delivery of aid to Palestinians in Gaza into the hands of UNRWA, saying that it should be Israel that controls the distribution of all aid into and among the Palestinian territory.
"I support managing the humanitarian effort differently, in a way that does not reach Hamas and does not help it keep civilians dependent on it. The only way to do that is for the Israeli army to control what happens in the Gaza Strip," Smotrich stated.
Smotrich was widely condemned earlier this month and last year for repeatedly proposing ethnic cleansing of Gaza's Palestinian population.
In his capacity as finance minister, Smotrich has also prevented vital tax funds from reaching Gaza, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's ongoing war on the strip.
Al-Aqsa Flood operation against Israel
Hamas military group announced on Oct. 7 a military operation called "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel which is the biggest offensive in decades.
Palestinian fighters “infiltrated” Israel from the Gaza Strip and captured military bases and took hostages as photos and videos went viral online showing Hamas fighters on vehicles inside Israel and others paragliding into occupation territory.
In response, Israeli armed forces announced targeting Hamas positions inside the Gaza Strip. Thousands were killed, and dozens of thousands of others were injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The latest statistics by the Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed that the death toll from Israeli brutal pounding on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has soared to 26,637 people, with more than 65,387 injuries.
Since then, approximately 85% of Gazans have been displaced, all of whom are suffering from severe food insecurity, and the healthcare system has collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of people lack shelter, and aid trucks are entering the area at a lower rate than before the conflict began.
