Two extremist Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, on Thursday escalated their pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent him from reaching a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, amid intense ceasefire negotiations.
"The more reckless deals are negotiated, the more Hamas's appetite for kidnappings increases," Ben-Gvir said, adding, "Last night, this cost us the life of a soldier who was killed during an attempted kidnapping in Khan Yunis," referring to a soldier killed during a resistance operation that wounded three others.
Ben-Gvir continued, addressing Netanyahu, "Stop negotiations with a murderous terrorist organization," as he put it. "Issued orders to crush Hamas to the end," he continued, considering that "the lives of soldiers and residents of the south are more important than any normalization or economic agreements" pushed by US President Donald Trump.
Ben-Gvir later denied accusing Netanyahu of direct responsibility for the soldier's death, but emphasized that negotiations with Hamas were strengthening its motivation to carry out new attacks, including kidnappings targeting Israeli soldiers participating in the assault on Gaza.
For his part, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned in closed-door talks that the army's withdrawal from areas it captured "at the price of blood," as part of a potential deal, would be "a stab in the back of soldiers and a violation of pledges made to their families," describing the idea as "immoral and unreasonable."
In contrast, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called for support for Netanyahu in his "important diplomatic mission in Washington," stressing the need to "ignore political pressures and threats and pursue an agreement that reflects the will of the majority of the government and the people and is consistent with the national interest."
In this context, Israel's Channel 12 quoted an informed source as saying that Minister Ron Dermer explained during a meeting held Tuesday at the White House with US envoy Steve Witkoff and a Qatari delegation that Netanyahu "is under intense pressure from within his ruling coalition that prevents him from making concessions."
Haaretz reported earlier today that Netanyahu sought a written pledge from Trump allowing Israel to resume the war on Gaza after the potential truce with Hamas ends, in an attempt to ease pressure from Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.
In a related development, Reuters quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that Israel and Hamas may be able to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and a prisoner exchange within a week or two, but such an agreement is not expected to be reached in a single day.
The official added, coinciding with Netanyahu's visit to Washington, that if both sides agree to a 60-day ceasefire proposal, Israel will use this period to offer a permanent ceasefire that requires Hamas to disarm. He threatened to continue military operations "if Hamas refuses."
Trump had previously predicted a deal could be reached this week, sparking speculation about a possible announcement before Netanyahu's return to Israel on Thursday. Trump appeared to extend the timeline slightly when he told reporters that although a deal was "very close," it could be reached this week or even the week after, though it was "not a certainty."
שתף את דעתך
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich escalate pressure on Netanyahu to continue the war