From the Liveblog of
Sunday, July 6, 2025
Smotrich blasts leak of cabinet row with Zamir; Gantz defends ‘honest’ IDF chief
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich rails against “partial and biased leaks from the cabinet” following reports of a shouting match between him and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir during a security cabinet meeting on Saturday evening.
According to Hebrew media, Smotrich accused the military of failing to manage the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza, stating that Zamir had “failed enormously on this matter.”
Such leaks “harm the security of the state,” Smotrich says in a lengthy statement alleging that throughout the war, the IDF’s top leadership was failing in its mission and is “forcing the political echelon to introduce aid that reaches Hamas.”
Smotrich says he “does not intend to be deterred by the briefings against me,” alleging they constitute an “attempt to silence” his criticism.
Smotrich also slams the cabinet for its decision on Saturday to allow more aid into north Gaza, stating that it is “unacceptable to us and we will consider our steps against it.”
His recriminations are aimed at the IDF brass and not the rank-and-file soldiers and commanders, Smotrich specifies, adding that for all his appreciation, “my criticism is also of the prime minister” for not forcing the military leadership to follow the will of the politicians.
Responding to this morning’s reports about Smotrich, Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz, a former IDF chief of staff who previously served as a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, tweets that Zamir “is an honest, experienced, and statesmanlike individual.”
“The attempts by ministers to pin the political failure in removing Hamas’s rule on him and on the military echelon that has been fighting for nearly two years only underscore how much Israel needs honest leadership that prioritizes the country’s security over politics,” Gantz writes.
“In the consensus government that will be established after the elections, ministers who attack the IDF will be sacked and will not overpower the prime minister.”
The Times of Israel Community.