From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Smotrich says PM ‘ultimately responsible’ for handling Gaza war, must occupy Strip or lose right to govern
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"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is the one who is ultimately responsible” for the handling of the war in Gaza, and if he does not occupy the territory and install a temporary military government then his “government has no right to exist,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declares in what is being widely interpreted as a threat to bring down the government.
Smotrich’s comments come after he reportedly verbally sparred with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir over the distribution of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip during last night’s security cabinet meeting.
According to Hebrew-language media reports, the spat erupted after Defense Minister Israel Katz informed the cabinet that Israel would have no choice but to resume aid deliveries to the war-torn Gaza Strip within the next week or two, but must ensure that it does not reach Hamas.
Zamir, in response, is said to have told Katz that the military would not be responsible for distributing the aid, prompting Smotrich to retort that “the army does not choose its missions” and that the political echelon expects the IDF to be on top of aid distribution in order to ensure that none of the goods falls into Hamas’s hands.
Responding to the reports this morning, Smotrich reiterates, “Managing the civilian effort in Gaza in a way that does not fall into the hands of Hamas was and remains the most critical component for defeating Hamas and winning the war.”
“Without internalizing and implementing this, we will not be able to win,” he argues.
“I have been shouting this for a year and a half, and at my request, such an unequivocal directive to the IDF was included in an explicit cabinet decision that was received before the approval of the latest hostage deal.
“I have no complaints about the chief of staff. My criticism is of the prime minister, who does not enforce the implementation of the political echelon’s policy on the IDF,” the far-right minister continues.
“Introducing logistical aid that goes to Hamas is a step that I will not be a part of. Period!” he warns.
“The prime minister is the one who is ultimately responsible. Launch a campaign to defeat Hamas, occupy Gaza and implement a temporary military government until another solution is found, return the hostages and launch the Trump plan — or this government has no right to exist,” he demands, referring to US President Donald Trump’s proposal to empty Gaza of its residents in order to rebuild the enclave.
Smotrich’s far-right Religious Zionism party currently holds seven Knesset seats out of the coalition’s 68, not enough to terminate Netanyahu’s majority if it were to quit.
The Times of Israel Community.