Smotrich mum as Religious Zionism MK defends allowing aid into Gaza

Despite threatening to leave the government “if a speck” of aid entered Gaza and reached the Hamas terror group, Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party may be making its peace with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to allow assistance into the enclave.

Breaking with other hardliners raging against the move, Religious Zionism MK Zvi Succot defends the entry of aid in a post on X, while speaking out against coalition figures airing their disapproval.

“Unlike what we had over the war until now, the massive pressure from the US and the world to allow assistance into Gaza will not translate anymore into a supply of oxygen to Hamas but rather [will take the form of] distribution to individuals via foreign companies secured by the IDF,” he writes. “That’s very very different.”

“If we thought we were giving up on total victory in the war including migration [of Gazans outside the Strip], we would not be in the government. The situation is the opposite for now,” he writes.

To his fellow coalition members, he adds: “It’s absolutely forbidden to join the leftist efforts to sow despair and despondency even if there are disagreements along the way.”

Succot also tells Army Radio that the cabinet adopted a plan put forward by Smotrich to create a mechanism making sure the aid does not reach Hamas.

Nonetheless, fellow party MK Michal Woldiger isn’t quite as on board with the plan.

“Allowing aid into Gaza while our soldiers are fighting there and hostages are being held starving and counting 600 days, harms security, damages national resilience, and sends a dangerous message of moral confusion,” she writes on X.

Smotrich himself has yet to speak publicly on the matter.