Smotrich says returning hostages ‘not the most important thing,’ sparking fierce backlash
Hostages’ families say ‘history will remember’ far-right minister; top Haredi coalition lawmaker disputes his statement, and opposition politicians say he’s ‘sacrificing’ captives
Finance Minster Bezalel Smotrich said Monday that bringing the hostages back from Gaza was “not the most important” goal of the government, a statement that was met with staunch criticism from the families of the hostages and several politicians, including some from the coalition.
Speaking to Radio Galey Israel, the far-right minister said: “We have to say the truth, returning the hostages is not the most important thing.”
“It is obviously a very important goal, but if you want to destroy Hamas so that there can’t be another October 7, you need to understand that there can’t be a situation where Hamas remains in Gaza,” he said.
The terror group, which is still holding 59 hostages, has said it will return them in exchange for Israel ending the war and withdrawing from the Strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said he is not willing to end the war until Hamas, which rules Gaza, is completely overthrown.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, which represents the relatives of the majority of those held captive, said in response to Smotrich that they “have no words this morning except shame.”
“The minister is at least revealing the hard truth to the public, this government has deliberately decided to give up on the hostages,” the statement said. “Smotrich — history will remember how you closed your heart to your brothers and sisters in captivity and chose not to save them.”
“How is it possible that the prime minister says time and time again that this is a supreme goal in his eyes, while his ministers and partners say otherwise?” the forum asked.
“We demand that the government ministers and coalition members issue a clear statement and prove that they are still committed to the basic Jewish and Israeli values of redeeming captives and rescuing our brothers and sisters,” the organization said.
Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, posted on X: “The only truth is that for your messianic and psychopathic delusions you are willing to sacrifice Matan and an entire country. We must throw out Smotrich and [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu in order to bring all the hostages home!”
Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife of hostage Omri Miran, posted on X that she “thanks” Smotrich for “saying publicly what the prime minister is afraid to say.” She added that Smotrich had been set to visit Kibbutz Nahal Oz on Tuesday, but canceled.
Smotrich’s statement was also condemned by MK Moshe Gafni of the coalition’s Haredi United Torah Judaism party, who called the return of the hostages “the most important issue.”
Gafni, the leader of UTJ’s Degel Hatorah faction, compared Smotrich to the Sicarii of the Second Temple period, a group of zealots for whom “the national issue was more important than human life.”
Smotrich then launched a fierce attack on Gafni, saying that only someone who still holds a “diaspora mindset” and doesn’t believe that the State of Israel is the rightful “return to Zion” is capable of “comparing the current reality to the period of the destruction of the Second Temple.”
“Thank God, Gafni represents a minority that is getting smaller in Haredi society,” he continued, arguing that “in the end, the victory over Hamas is intended to preserve human lives” and that “surrendering to a murderous terrorist organization and leaving it as a ruling entity” in Gaza would lead to more bloodshed and kidnappings in the future.
“As for the great Torah scholars,” Smotrich said, Gafni should “start honoring the great Torah scholars of religious Zionism” who also serve in the military, a reference to the row over military draft exemptions for Haredi men.
Opposition politicians also slammed Smotrich for his comment on the hostages.
“Smotrich is offering the hostages as human sacrifices on the altar of messianic delusions,” declared The Democrats chief Yair Golan, calling him “the true face of the Netanyahu government – a government in which neglect and the sacrifice of lives is not a failure, but a policy.”
Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman said that until October 7, Smotrich “claimed that Hamas was an asset,” adding: “For the one who was wrong then, it’s better to keep quiet now.”
“The return of all hostages is not a matter of debate – it is a moral and national obligation,” Liberman posted on X.
Yesh Atid lawmaker Yorai Lahav-Hertzano went as far as declaring that he and Smotrich “are not part of the same people.”
Terror groups in the Gaza Strip still hold a total of 59 hostages, including 58 of the 251 abducted on October 7, 2023. They include the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF.
There are 24 hostages who are believed to be alive and were slated for release in the proposed second stage of the ceasefire deal agreed upon in January, which fell apart in March as Israel renewed the fighting in Gaza.
Negotiations to resume the ceasefire and release the remaining hostages have stalled, with Hamas on Thursday rejecting an Israeli proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, reiterating that it opposes any truce deal that does not end the war.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said he is not willing to end the war until Hamas, which rules Gaza, is completely overthrown.
In recent weeks, petitions signed by current and retired military reservists, as well as various sectors of Israeli society, have also urged a deal that would return all the hostages, even if it means ending the war.
Polls consistently show a large majority of Israelis support an end to the war if it means all the hostages would be released.
The Times of Israel Community.