Smotrich threatens Hamas with expulsion from Gaza
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- Far-right minister threatens full military occupation, displacement, settlements.
- Remarks contradict October ceasefire terms calling for withdrawal from Gaza.
'Israel’s' far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has issued a new escalation of threats against the Gaza Strip, claiming that ‘Israel’ will soon deliver what he described as a “final warning” to Hamas leaders to leave Gaza and surrender their weapons.
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Speaking on Monday, Smotrich said the ultimatum would demand that Hamas leaders exit the Gaza Strip, hand over all weapons, military sites, and tunnels, and submit to what he framed as total disarmament. He warned that refusal would be followed by direct military action, which he claimed would be carried out under the cover of “international legitimacy.”
Calls for occupation, settlements
Smotrich went further, openly advocating the full military occupation of Gaza, the forced displacement of its population, and the establishment of Jewish settlements in the enclave. He said the 'Israeli' military was already preparing operational plans to occupy Gaza and build settlements there, in open defiance of international understandings.
Read more: Hamas says open to Gaza peacekeeping force, but rejects “interference”
The remarks underscore the growing influence of Israel’s far-right bloc within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has pushed for expanded settlement activity since the start of the war on October seven, two thousand twenty-three.
Trump factor
Smotrich linked the timing of the threatened military move to the success or failure of efforts by former US President Donald Trump, claiming Trump may seek to “eliminate Hamas” through his own approach. He stressed that ‘Israel’ had not abandoned what he called the goal of Hamas’ complete destruction.
Ceasefire contradiction
The statements come despite the ceasefire agreement reached in October, which explicitly called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip, reconstruction efforts, and discussions on security arrangements. ‘Israel’ has yet to withdraw, while Hamas has repeatedly stated that the issue of weapons is an internal Palestinian matter.
Promoting forced displacement
Smotrich also renewed calls to encourage what he termed the “migration” of Palestinians from both the occupied West Bank and Gaza, a position widely criticized as advocating ethnic cleansing and aimed at preventing the establishment of a future Palestinian state.
His remarks have drawn renewed attention to the increasingly hardline direction of Israeli government policy as the war on Gaza continues, with Palestinian martyrs mounting amid ongoing aggression and devastation across the Strip.
