Smotrich: PM agreeing to halt Gaza offensive ‘serious mistake,’ talks should be held under fire

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is sharply critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for agreeing to halt the IDF’s offensive in Gaza so that details of the Trump plan for ending the war can be ironed out with Hamas during negotiations.

“The prime minister’s decision to halt the offensive in Gaza and to, for the first time, conduct negotiations without being under fire is a serious mistake,” says the far-right minister who heads the Religious Zionism coalition party.

He adds that the move is also “a sure recipe for Hamas stalling for time and a growing erosion of the Israeli position, both with respect to the release of the hostages in one go within 72 hours, and with respect to the central war goal of eliminating Hamas and completely demilitarizing Gaza.”