Smotrich said that the level of destruction in Gaza will be unprecedented globally.
By Sharon Zhang ,
May 19, 2025
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich delivers a speech during a Sukkoth gathering near the Gaza Strip, where far-right activists and members of the Israeli Knesset are hold an event titled 'Preparing to Resettle Gaza,' on October 21, 2024, in Be'eri, Israel.
Ilia Yefimovich / picture alliance via Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised a top Israeli minister after he vowed that Israel will carry out the “conquering” and “cleansing” of the Gaza Strip, as the military escalates its genocide in order to implement its permanent occupation plan.
In a statement on Monday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that Israel’s goal is “destroying everything that’s left of the Gaza Strip,” with the military working to completely level already destroyed infrastructure.
“We are conquering, cleansing, and remaining in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed,” Smotrich went on, per a translation by Israeli outlet Haaretz. This is effectively an admission that Israeli officials intend to carry out ethnic cleansing.
On social media on Monday, Netanyahu praised that statement, saying that Smotrich was “speaking the truth” — even as international experts warn that Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign violates a deluge of international human rights laws.
Similarly to Smotrich, Netanyahu pledged that Israel’s goal is to “take control of all” of Gaza. “We will not give up. But in order to succeed, we must act in a way that cannot be stopped,” he said.
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The statements were made in response to criticism from some Israelis over the government’s announcement on Sunday that it will allow “minimal” humanitarian aid into Gaza after nearly three months of Israel’s total aid blockade.
The blockade has had horrific effects on Palestinians in the Strip, with human rights advocates warning that famine is imminent or already ongoing across the entire area. Further, the Israeli military has killed hundreds of Palestinians in the last few days alone in its escalated campaign and ground assault.
Netanyahu reassured far right coalition partners that the small trickle of aid was a tactic to quiet criticisms from foreign allies and pave the way for Israel’s total forced displacement plan, known as “Gideon’s Chariots.”
“Our best friends in the world — senators I know as strong supporters of Israel — have warned that they cannot support us if images of mass starvation emerge,” he said. “We must avoid famine, both for practical reasons and diplomatic ones. Without international backing, we won’t be able to complete the mission of victory.”
Smotrich had a similar message. “Truth be told, until the last of the hostages returns, we should also not let water into the Gaza Strip. But the reality is that if we do that, the world will force us to halt the war immediately, and to lose,” Smotrich said, per Drop Site. “We are disassembling Gaza, and leaving it as piles of rubble, with total destruction [which has] no precedent globally.”
Earlier this month, following Israeli officials’ approval of Gideon’s Chariots, Smotrich had said that Israel must “stop being afraid of the word ‘occupation,’” vowing to escalate Israeli acts that have already been deemed illegal.
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