Israel's finance minister calls potential deal ‘catastrophe'
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Monday his opposition to a potential prisoner exchange deal with Palestinian group Hamas, calling for opening “the gates of hell” on the enclave.
The emerging deal is a “catastrophe for Israel's national security," Smotrich, the leader of the Religious Zionism Party, said on his X account.
The extremist minister, however, did not threaten to leave the government if the deal is approved.
"This is the time to continue with all our might, to occupy and cleanse the entire Strip, to finally take control of humanitarian aid from Hamas, and to open the gates of hell on Gaza until Hamas surrenders completely and all the hostages are returned,” he said.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Smotrich to try to persuade him to support the deal, according to the public broadcaster KAN.
Smotrich has repeatedly expressed his opposition to any agreement with Palestinians and previously threatened to withdraw from the government if a deal is signed.
On Friday, Israeli media reported that Qatar has sent a “positive message” to Israel regarding Hamas' willingness to move forward with negotiations on a hostage deal.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, citing unnamed sources, said on Saturday that "90% of the details of the potential prisoner exchange deal have been agreed upon."
The prisoner swap and cease-fire talks, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US, have been interrupted several times due to new conditions imposed by Netanyahu.
The Israeli opposition and families of captives accuse Netanyahu of obstructing efforts to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed nearly 46,600 victims, most of them women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
