Smotrich blasts ‘surrender deal’ in response to Gallant’s call to reverse cabinet decision on Philadelphi Corridor
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"
Responding to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s demand that the security cabinet reverse its decision to maintain IDF forces along the Philadelphi Corridor, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich rails against what he calls a “surrender deal” with Hamas.
“Hamas murdered our hostages in cold blood precisely to make us surrender and accept its demands and allow it to survive and restore its capabilities and attack Israel again as part of the Iranian extermination plan,” the far-right minister tweets.
“The cabinet will not allow a surrender deal that would abandon Israel’s security, but will direct the IDF and the security establishment to exact heavier prices from Hamas and those who give it shelter and concealment, and will intensify the war until its destruction and the return of the hostages,” he continues.
“This morning the Gaza Strip must be reduced. IDF forces should move 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) inland from the current border and clear everything in their way. This is a territory that will never be returned to the Gazans,” he demands, adding that “even in difficult and heartrending moments, reason and national responsibility must prevail and direct our decision-making.”
