A return to war against Hamas will “challenge” the safety of the remaining Israelis being held hostage in Gaza, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich admitted during a press conference at the end of his party’s weekly meeting in the Knesset in Jerusalem on Monday.
Smotrich, who has advocated strongly for a return to war, explained that the government had yet to do so in order to engage in negotiations to return as many hostages as possible first.
Smotrich had previously insisted that the war goals of defeating Hamas militarily and freeing the hostages did not contradict each other, but the comment on Monday indicated that this may no longer be possible and that a decision to reinvade Gaza could indeed lead to harm to the hostages.
The comments were in line with statements made in February by Smotrich’s party member National Missions Minister Orit Struk, who said at a Besheva conference that “destroying Hamas was more important than freeing the last hostage.”
Direct talks between US and Hamas "an utter mistake," Smotrich adds
In an interview on KAN Radio on Monday morning, Smotrich said that the direct talks between US President Donald Trump’s Envoy for Hostages, Adam Boehler, and Hamas were an “utter mistake.”
According to Smotrich, Boehler had “acted on his own accord” in order to free the captive soldier Edan Alexander, who is a US citizen. Boehler was acting “naively”, and the plan he proposed in Hamas’s name, whereby the organization agreed to disarm and return all hostages in return for a 5-10 year ceasefire, was “utter nonsense,” he said. Smotrich noted Boehler’s post on X/Twitter on Sunday night clarifying that Hamas were “BY DEFINITION BAD people” (capital letters in source).
A member of Smotrich’s party, MK Simcha Rothman, made similar comments in a debate in the Knesset Constitution Committee on Monday morning.
Rothman's comments
According to Rothman, “Adam Boehler, and anyone who negotiates with Hamas, causes great harm to the return of hostages”.
Rothman’s comments came in response to comments by Gil Dickman, cousin of Carmel Gat, who was murdered while in Hamas captivity in late August.
In a press conference at the end of his party’s weekly meeting, Democrats chairman Yair Golan criticized government for the fact that Boehler had conducted negotiations directly with Hamas.
"The murderous and despicable terrorist organization ... is no longer ostracized and shunned in the world, but rather a party in diplomatic talks with the world's strongest power,” Golan said.
He added, “Due to Netanyahu and his negligent and reckless government, an Israel-bypassing axis has been created - a deal between the US, Hamas, and Qatar. The partnership between Qatar and Hamas has become legitimate and accepted by the US administration under Netanyahu's auspices. Friends, this is a historic diplomatic achievement for Hamas, under the auspices of Netanyahu's diplomatic failures,” Golan argued.