While the finance minister said he had previously supported the prime minister for the sake of unity even when they disagreed, \u201cUnfortunately, for the first time since the war began, I feel that I simply cannot stand behind this decision and support it. My conscience does not allow it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Families of hostages held in Gaza and their supporters call for the end of the war in Gaza and the release of all captives, outside a security cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, August 7, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
Smotrich added that he was previously able to set aside his reservations because he believed that \u201cwe were striving for a decisive victory,\u201d but that now he has \u201clost faith that the prime minister is able and wants to lead the IDF to a decisive victory.\u201d<\/p>\n
Appealing directly to Netanyahu, Smotrich said it was \u201cnot too late\u201d to change his mind, convene the cabinet and announce that \u201cthere will be no more partial deals\u201d and that Israel was now aiming at a complete victory in which Hamas either surrenders and releases all the hostages all at once, or is completely defeated and destroyed.<\/p>\n
This approach, he added, would include the \u201cannexation of large parts of the Gaza Strip and opening its gates to voluntary migration.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if Smotrich\u2019s statement constituted a threat to bolt the coalition and what his Religious Zionism party will do if Netanyahu does not alter his approach, a spokesman for the minister did not immediately respond.<\/p>\n
Overnight Thursday-Friday, the security cabinet approved a proposal by Netanyahu to take over the densely populated Gaza City, bucking warnings from the army that the operation risks the lives of the remaining hostages in addition to potentially sparking a humanitarian disaster.<\/p>\n
Some speculated that talk of a larger-scale operation to conquer all of Gaza completely had been a pressure tactic aimed at coaxing Hamas to return to the negotiation table on Israel\u2019s terms.<\/p>\n
Both Smotrich and far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir voted against the plan. Smotrich reportedly cited Netanyahu\u2019s readiness to halt the Gaza City operation if Hamas met Israel\u2019s conditions for a new deal as his reason, while Ben Gvir took issue with the proposal\u2019s stipulation that aid would be provided to Palestinians who evacuate from Gaza City.<\/p>\n
Netanyahu\u2019s coalition is reliant on Smotrich and Ben Gvir, who seek to occupy the Strip permanently\u00a0in order to push Palestinians out of the enclave and re-establish Jewish settlements in their place.<\/p>\n
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir expressed firm opposition to the Gaza City proposal, citing the risk it poses to soldiers and the remaining hostages.<\/p>\n
Hostage families are vehemently opposed to the plan approved by the government, fearing it will lead to their loved ones\u2019 demise, and staged fiery protests in Tel Aviv on Thursday night and again on Saturday night. They were joined on both occasions by thousands of supporters who blocked roads and clashed with police who tried to clear them.<\/p>\n
Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 50 hostages, including 49 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023. They include the bodies of at least 28 confirmed dead by the IDF. Twenty are believed to be alive and there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others, Israeli officials have said. Hamas is also holding the body of an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.<\/p>\n
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