Israel’s Smotrich says war will not end ‘until hundreds of thousands of Gazans leave’

Israel will not end the war on Gaza until hundreds of thousands of Palestinians leave the enclave, Anadolu reported Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich saying yesterday.

“We will end this campaign when Syria is dismantled, Hezbollah is severely beaten, Iran is stripped of its nuclear threat, Gaza is cleansed of Hamas and hundreds of thousands of Gazans are on their way out of it to other countries, our hostages are returned, some to their homes and some to the graves of Israel,” said Smotrich during his speech in the illegal settlement of Eli in the central occupied West Bank.

He claimed that these are not only the goals of the government but rather a consensus of the Israeli people and soldiers.

Smotrich appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “do everything to strengthen Israel’s security” and warned him to not “miss this opportunity.”

The Israeli occupation army resumed its assault on Gaza on 18 March, shattering a 19 January ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

Israel has killed more than 52,500 Palestinians in the enclave since October 2023, most of them women and children.

READ: 94% of Palestinians killed in Gaza last week were civilians, rights group says