Israel’s far-right finance minister on Monday called for canceling US President Donald Trump’s plan for the Gaza Strip, urging the forced displacement of Palestinians and the establishment of Israeli settlements in the enclave, Israeli media reported.
Under Trump’s plan, a ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10 after a brutal Israeli war that has killed more than 71,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.
Bezalel Smotrich spoke during the inauguration of a settlement in the occupied West Bank, where he thanked Trump for what he called “enormous support for Israel” and goodwill, Haaretz newspaper said.
He also credited Trump with helping secure the return of Israeli hostages from Gaza, but said the plan harms Israel and should be revoked.
“Gaza is ours,” said Smotrich, the leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party, claiming that the territory’s future would affect Israel more than anyone else.
He said Israel should impose military rule, amounting to occupation, and “complete the mission,” Haaretz reported.
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He also called for dismantling a joint civilian-military coordination center based in the southern Israeli settlement of Kiryat Gat that oversees the implementation of Trump’s plan.
The center was established in October by US Central Command and includes representatives from dozens of countries and international organizations.
Smotrich called for excluding what he described as “hostile countries,” including Egypt and Britain, from the command center, Haaretz reported.
He called on Hamas to disarm and withdraw from Gaza within a short deadline, warning that if that deadline expires, Israel should storm Gaza with full force and destroy Hamas “militarily and civilly.”
The extremist minister also called for reopening the Rafah crossing, which Israel controls on the Palestinian side, with or without Egypt’s approval, and for allowing Gaza residents to leave and seek a future elsewhere, Haaretz said.
Israel was established in 1948 on Palestinian land, and later occupied the remaining Palestinian territories. Successive Israeli governments have rejected a withdrawal and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
