Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned on Sunday that he would push to topple the government if it refused to take control of the Gaza Strip and occupy it altogether.
Smotrich criticized the Gaza ceasefire agreement, calling it a “grave mistake” and labeling it a “capitulation to Hamas.”
The ceasefire, along with a prisoner exchange deal, went into effect on Sunday at 11:15 a.m. local time (0915 GMT) following a delay. Initially set to begin at 8:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT), the postponement was attributed to Israel accusing Hamas of delaying the release of a list of captives set for exchange.
Speaking to Army Radio, Smotrich declared that Israel “must occupy Gaza and establish a temporary military administration as the only way to eliminate Hamas.” He also threatened to dismantle the government if it failed to resume military operations aimed at capturing and governing the entire Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, another far-right politician, announced his party’s withdrawal from the ruling coalition in protest against the ceasefire agreement. Despite this, the coalition still holds a narrow majority in the Knesset with 62 out of 120 seats.
On Saturday, the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal were approved by 24 government ministers, while eight voted against it.
The ongoing conflict has caused devastating casualties. Since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attacks, which resulted in 1,200 Israeli deaths and approximately 250 hostages taken, Israeli military operations in Gaza have killed nearly 47,000 people. However, reports from Haaretz later revealed that Israeli forces, including helicopters and tanks, were responsible for a significant number of the 1,139 Israeli soldiers and civilians initially attributed to Palestinian Resistance attacks.
The ceasefire plan is divided into three phases. In the first phase, a six-week ceasefire will take place, with Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza’s populated areas. During this period, 33 hostages out of the remaining 98 will be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
In the second phase, the remaining hostages will be released, and Israeli forces will complete their withdrawal from Gaza.
The final phase includes returning the remains of deceased hostages to their families and launching a comprehensive reconstruction initiative for Gaza.
