Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has proposed annexing the Gaza Strip to Israel if Hamas refuses to disarm, Al Jazeera reported.
“If Hamas is not ready to surrender, lay down its arms and release Israeli prisoners, Israel should seize a part of Gaza every week and take control of it all within four weeks,” Smotrich said at a press conference on Thursday. According to him, Palestinians would initially be asked to move to the southern part of Gaza, then Israel would encircle the north and central areas and eventually annex them.
Smotrich claimed that the process could be completed within three to four months, adding that “these steps are part of a plan to achieve ‘victory’ in Gaza by the end of the year.” His comments came as Israeli forces intensified their efforts to capture the territory, pushing deep into Gaza City and displacing an estimated one million Palestinians.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last week that Israel’s attack would cause “massive death and destruction.” He broadly condemned the military offensive, saying, “This is not a famine coming, this is a destruction that is happening now. People are dying of hunger, families are being torn apart by displacement and despair, pregnant women are facing unimaginable risks, and basic life support systems such as food, water and health care are being systematically destroyed.”
Gaza is facing acute shortages of food, water and other humanitarian supplies due to the Israeli blockade. Meanwhile, Hamas strongly rejected Smotrich’s comments, saying, “The statement is an official call to exterminate our people and confirms the use of starvation as a weapon and the formal acceptance of the siege against innocent civilians.”
In a statement quoted by Al Jazeera, Hamas said, “Smotrich’s statement is not just the extremist views of one individual, but rather the continuation of a government policy that has been in place for almost 23 months. It has exposed to the world the reality of the occupation and confirmed that the events taking place in Gaza are not a military war, but rather a project of genocide and mass displacement.”
Smotrich has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “immediately and fully” implement his annexation plan. Netanyahu has not commented publicly on the matter. But he has previously hinted that Israel could “take control of all of Gaza” and retake the territory, Al Jazeera reported.
