Smotrich calls for Israel to implement complete control in Gaza
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for the Israeli military to occupy and take complete control of the Gaza Strip, and has rejected a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.
Speaking to Israel's Army Radio on Monday, Smotrich called on the Israeli military to administer both humanitarian aid and security in the beseiged Palestinian enclave.
"The [Israeli military's] refusal to take responsibility for distributing humanitarian aid in the Strip is a bigger failure than 7 October, and is a big part of the reason the kidnapped soldiers are not here yet," he said.
He added that despite the demands and insistence of Israel's political sphere, "the Israeli army strongly refused to take on anything that smelled of military administration".
"If this is what is required in order to ensure security, then I am not afraid that we will be an alternative authority in the Strip for a certain period in order to eliminate Hamas."
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
On 7 October 2023, a surprise attack by Hamas and other Palestinian groups on southern Israel killed more than 1,100 people, and resulted in around 250 being taken captive in Gaza.
Israel has since killed just under 44,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 100,000 others. Many thousands more are missing and presumed dead under the rubble.
A recent UN report said that nearly 70 percent of those who had been killed by Israel were women and children.
In northern Gaza, Israel has been accused of committing ethnic cleansing through the Generals' Plan, which involves forcibly displacing Palestinians from the area and either killing or starving those who remain.
Israeli media last month reported evidence that such a plan was under way.
On the northern front, Smotrich rejected the prospect of a truce deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon, stating that Israel was "clearing" areas of southern Lebanon in order "to ensure that [northern Israeli] residents can return safely" to their homes.
"The years of containment in which the enemy's power grows are over. The agreement is not worth the paper it is printed on."
A response from the Lebanese government to a US ceasefire proposal between Hezbollah and Israel is expected on Monday.
Hezbollah 'open' to ceasefire
Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar reported that Hezbollah had reacted to the proposal with "great openness", and had authorised Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati to discuss the offer with Amos Hochstein, the US special envoy to Lebanon.
A Lebanon ceasefire deal is likely to be based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended Israel's war on Lebanon in 2006.
The terms of the resolution required Israel to entirely withdraw from occupied Lebanese lands and Hezbollah to move weapons and fighters north of the Litani river, around 30km north of the Israeli border.
Al-Akhbar reported that the Lebanese government had concerns about the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Last week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Israel was insistent in discussions that it be allowed to strike Lebanon at any time it wanted, which Barrot described as "not compatible with the sovereignty of a strong country".
At least 3,481 people have been killed and 14,786 wounded by Israel's war on Lebanon since October last year, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
