Finance Minister Smotrich Warns Hamas Would Occupy Border Without Israeli Resistance

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich addressed representatives of his party in southern Israel regarding the ongoing conflict with Hamas. He sharply criticized left-wing campaigns during the war, stating that if Israel had yielded to these pressures, Hamas would now be positioned along the border fences, and residents of the Gaza envelope communities would not have returned home.

Smotrich emphasized that although Hamas has not yet been fully defeated, Israeli forces currently control 60 to 70 percent of the Gaza Strip. He condemned calls for a ceasefire lasting several months, warning that such a move would have allowed Hamas to entrench itself near Israeli communities. He further rejected proposals involving reconstruction, disarmament, international guarantees, and UN Security Council decisions preventing renewed fighting, arguing these would have left southern towns like Sderot unsafe.

The remarks were made during a conference of municipal representatives from the Religious Zionist Party in Sderot, attended by Smotrich, Elad Deputy Mayor Elad Kalimi, and Hesder Yeshiva head Rabbi David Fendel. At the event, Eliyahu (Lalo) Zohar, mayor of Kiryat Malakhi, announced his support for Smotrich and the party in the upcoming elections, citing gratitude for their assistance to southern cities, including Kiryat Malakhi, over recent years.