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Israel, tensions in the government over the strategy for Gaza

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Saturday that he no longer believes Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to do whatever it takes to win the war in Gaza, as reported by the Times of Israel. In his view, last Thursday’s approval by the security cabinet of a plan to conquer Gaza City is an insufficient measure.

Criticism without threat of resignation
Despite his harsh tone, Smotrich did not announce his resignation, an option that, according to internal sources, he has been considering for some time and which he had previously linked to the progress of the conflict. In a video message, he explained that he had been working with Netanyahu in recent weeks on a plan for “victory in Gaza,” combining military and political actions to destroy Hamas’ capabilities and secure the release of hostages. According to Smotrich, however, the prime minister has made “a U-turn.”

The accusation: ‘Limited and dangerous plan’
Smotrich said the government had ‘given in to weakness’ by choosing a limited military manoeuvre aimed solely at pressuring Hamas for a ‘partial agreement on the hostages’, thus giving the group the opportunity to ‘recover and rearm’. He added that “this is not how you win a war” and that such a strategy leads the IDF to act “at half speed,” exposing soldiers to unnecessary risks and causing moral and political costs that he called “immoral and illogical madness.”

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