Smotrich: Death of 2 million Palestinians in Gaza from hunger “may be just and moral” | News

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday that the death of two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip from starvation “may be just and moral for the return of Israeli prisoners,” he claimed.

“No one will allow us to cause the death of two million civilians from hunger, even if it is just and moral, until our hostages are returned,” Smotrich said in statements reported by Israel's Channel 12.

He added that it is impossible to destroy the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) militarily and civilly without controlling humanitarian aid.

“We are bringing aid (to Gaza) because there is no other option,” he continued, calling for the Israeli army to take responsibility for distributing international humanitarian aid in Gaza during the war.

The Israeli Finance Minister also renewed his opposition to concluding any ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with the Palestinian factions in Gaza, saying, “I believe they should not be released… they will go back to killing Jews,” according to his expression.

Tel Aviv holds no less than 9,500 Palestinians in its prisons, and estimates that there are 115 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, while Hamas announced the killing of more than 70 prisoners in random Israeli raids.

Settlement in Gaza

Smotrich added that “the proposed deal will only return a few of the detainees, so it is unjust and immoral, and endangers Israel's security,” according to his expression.

He renewed his demand for the start of Israeli settlement in Gaza, saying, “I did not seek to define settlement in Gaza as part of the goals of the war. But I am allowed to say my ambition: Where there is no settlement, there is no security.”

The United Nations considers settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories illegal, and warns that they undermine the chances of resolving the conflict according to the principle of a two-state solution (Palestinian and Israeli), and has been calling for a halt to them for decades, but to no avail.

The opposition, prisoners' families, and security and military officials in Israel accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing any proposed agreement to prevent the disintegration of his ruling coalition and the loss of his position, as far-right ministers, including Smotrich, threaten to bring down the government if it accepts an agreement to end the war.