He spoke out against a US-backed mediation effort and said Hamas “must be crushed” until it “completely surrenders”.
The transfer of all humanitarian aid and fuel should be stopped until all captives held by Hamas are released and Israeli authorities must “encourage immigration and occupy the territories of the Gaza Strip in order to keep them in our hands permanently”, he wrote.
Earlier, Ben-Gvir told Israel’s Channel 14 that Israel taking part in ceasefire negotiations would be “a serious mistake”. He said he told Netanyahu that the Israeli military is “doing a great job in Gaza” and “so why pull them out?”
He added: “Why should we go now and have a dialogue? Hamas is being crushed by this war and we can win it. I have clearly said that I hope and pray that Netanyahu will not conclude a loose deal. We are victorious and advanced.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has slammed the White House’s criticism of his opposition to a ceasefire deal.
In a post on X, the far-right minister wrote: “I respect the US position and thank them for their support of Israel against regional threats, but I expect them to respect Israeli democracy.
“Just as the US would reject international pressure to reach a surrender agreement with al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, Israel will not yield to external pressure that compromises its security.
“A surrender agreement with Sinwar that abandons most hostages to death, releases mass murderers, allows the return of terrorists to the north of the Gaza Strip, abandons the border and allows Hamas to smuggle weapons and restore its strength in order to return and attack Israel, is bad for Israel and endangers its security. And we will oppose it with all our strength. No amount of criticism or attacks will distract me from this goal.”
The Israeli military is ordering civilians in the al-Jalaa neighbourhood of Khan Younis to evacuate, saying there had been “numerous acts of terrorism” in the area, Al Jazeera reports.
“The early warning is carried out in order to reduce the damage to the civilian population and keep them away from the combat area,” the military said in a post on X, showing a colour-coded map further adjusting the boundaries of the “humanitarian zone” in southern Gaza.
