Israeli Finance Minister ignites anger in Israel with provocative remarks about Israeli hostages
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday that the return of prisoners held by Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip “isn’t the most important goal”.
Smotrich, leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party, told Israel Radio: “Returning the hostages is important, but it’s not the most important goal”.
He added, “We need to eliminate the Gaza problem… We’ve a great opportunity, and the excuses are gone”.
He continued, “There is no Biden, no Galant, and no Herzi Halevi”.
Tel Aviv estimates that there are 59 Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip, 24 of whom are still alive.
Meanwhile, more than 9,900 Palestinians are languishing in its prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect, many of whom have died, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.
The prisoners’ families denounced Smotrich’s remarks, calling them “shameful”.
In a statement on X, Israeli hostages families said, “This morning, we have only one word to say: shame”.
They added, “At least the minister is revealing to the public the difficult truth, which is that this government (Netanyahu) deliberately decided to abandon the hostages”.
The hostages’ families accuse Netanyahu of endangering their lives by insisting on continuing the war on Gaza and avoiding a prisoner swap deal.
This is done in deference to the more extremist ministers in his government, including Smotrich, in order to protect his political interests.
Hamas has repeatedly affirmed its readiness to release all prisoners at once, but Netanyahu is stalling by seeking partial deals that will keep the war of extermination ongoing, according to the Israeli opposition and the prisoners’ families.
