Finance Minister Smotrich made a statement on his account on the social media platform, he said.
“We will not accept an end to the war without ending Hamas,” Smotrich stressed, adding:
“We cannot accept an end to the war without destroying Hamas, serious damage to the gains made in the war so far with the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the return of Gazans to the northern Gaza Strip, or the mass release of Palestinian prisoners,” he said. “We demand that the war continue until it is eradicated, that all prisoners be returned, that a totally different security situation be created in Gaza and Lebanon, that all residents of the north and south return to their homes, and investment in accelerating the development of these parts of the country.”
Minister of National Security Ben Gvir also spoke out in a statement on his own account.
Ben Gvir threatened to topple the government if Prime Minister Netanyahu implemented the agreement, saying:
“If the prime minister (Netanyahu) implements the illegal agreement according to the published terms, this will mean the end of the war. Therefore, Otzma Yehudit (the party he leads) will dissolve the government.”
“This is an illegal agreement, a victory for terrorism and a security threat to the State of Israel. Approving such an agreement would mean absolute defeat, not absolute victory. The war cannot end without completely eliminating Hamas.”
Israel has been attacking the Gaza Strip for about eight months, and has announced that it will not accept any proposal unless conditions such as “the destruction of Hamas’ military and administrative power and the release of prisoners” are met.
A statement released yesterday by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said Israel’s “conditions for ending the war in Gaza remain unchanged.”
The statement recalled that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s goal is to “destroy Hamas’ military and administrative power, release all hostages and ensure that Gaza is no longer a threat to Israel.”
Speaking at the White House yesterday, Biden said Israel had presented a new ceasefire proposal in three phases, with the first phase envisaging an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza settlements and the release of some of the hostages being held by the parties over a six-week ceasefire period.
US President Biden said, “In the second phase, negotiations will be held on the transition to a permanent ceasefire, and all surviving hostages, including male soldiers, will be released and Israel will withdraw from Gaza (in the first phase),” adding, “The temporary ceasefire will be transformed into a permanent cessation of hostilities, and in the second phase, if the parties reach agreement on all issues and the ceasefire becomes permanent, the third phase will be passed, in which the reconstruction process of Gaza will be on the agenda and any dead hostages remaining in the hands of the parties will be handed over.”
