'Israeli' minister says returning captives "not most important goal"

Israeli Occupation's far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, caused controversy on Monday when he said that while the return of captives is important, "it's not the most important goal" in an interview with Galei Israel radio station.

"We need to eliminate the Gaza problem. We have a tremendous opportunity, and the excuses are gone: there's no Biden, no [former Defence Minister] Gallant, and no former IDF chief of staff," Smotrich stated, shifting focus away from the captives' return.

His remarks quickly drew backlash, particularly from the families of the captives. "The families have only one word this morning: shame," they said in a joint statement.

One such family member, Einav Zangauker, the mother of a captive, strongly condemned Smotrich, stating, "The only truth is that [Smotrich] is willing to sacrifice my Matan and an entire country for his messianic and psychotic delusions."

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