Far-right Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich has asserted that Gaza will be “entirely destroyed.”
Speaking at a conference in the occupied West Bank settlement of Ofra, Smotrich noted that civilians will be sent to the south to a humanitarian zone “without Hamas or terrorism, and from there they will start to leave in great numbers to third countries.”
Smotrich, who has recently said that Israel will not withdraw from Gaza even if there is another hostage deal, expressed his hope that the territory would be formally annexed during the current government’s term, which could last until late next year.
This confirms Palestinians’ fears that Israel annexing the territory is a possibility.
Smotrich is one of the far-right leaders on whom Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile coalition depends.
The Finance Minister is among those in Israel who considers the West Bank the biblical heartland of the Jewish people.
He called the annexation of the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, “one of the most important challenges” for the Israeli leadership.
Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, the West Bank is home to three million Palestinian people, and around 490,000 Israelis living in settlements that are illegal under international law.
On Monday, May 5, 2025, Smotrich told a news agency during a conference that Israelis should start to embrace the word “occupation.”
It came after the Israeli security cabinet approved an expansion of its war on Gaza, which an Israeli official said would entail “the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories.”
The plan, which was unanimously approved, goes beyond any aims so far outlined by Israel for its offensive in the devastated Palestinian territory
The plans approval came hours after the Israeli military chief said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers. It could be a tactic to gain leverage in the faltering ceasefire negotiations with Hamas.
Netanyahu, accused of prolonging the war for his own political survival, did not say how much territory would be seized by soldiers, but said that Israeli troops would not go into Gaza, launch raids and then retreat quickly. “The intention is the opposite of that,” he said, suggesting a sustained presence in the territory.
Hamas Sees No Sense In Truce Talks After Israel’s New Gaza Plan
Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official, Basem Naim told a news agency that the group was no longer interested in truce talks with Israel after Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday announced a new “intensified” offensive in Gaza that will involve Israeli troops holding on to seized territory and significant displacement of the population.
Urging the international community “to pressure the Netanyahu government to end the crimes of hunger, thirst, and killings” in Gaza, Naim told the news agency, “There is no sense in engaging in talks or considering new ceasefire proposals as long as the hunger war and extermination war continue in the Gaza Strip.”
His comments come a day after Israel’s military said that expanded operations in Gaza would include displacing “most” of its residents, and amid Israeli strikes on Yemen and Lebanon.
After a fragile ceasefire in Gaza collapsed in mid-March, Israel renewed its bombardment of the territory, and more than 70% of Gaza is under Israeli control or covered by orders issued by Israel telling Palestinian civilians to evacuate specific neighbourhoods.
Hamas is still believed to be holding dozens of Israeli hostages who were seized and abducted from southern Israel during the Hamas surprise attack on 7 October 2023. Many of the hostages are thought to be dead.
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