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ISRAEL’S Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on 28 August called on the government to begin annexing parts of the Gaza Strip should Hamas continue to reject demands to disarm and release hostages.
AFP reported today that the far-right minister, an outspoken critic of any negotiations with Hamas, unveiled what he described as a plan to “win in Gaza by the end of the year” during a press conference in Jerusalem.
Under Smotrich’s proposal, Hamas would be given an ultimatum to lay down arms, release the hostages still held in Gaza since the group’s 2023 attack, and effectively surrender. Should the group refuse, he said, Israel should proceed to annex one section of the territory per week over the course of four weeks.
According to Smotrich, Palestinians would first be ordered to move southward, followed by an Israeli siege of northern and central Gaza to eliminate remaining Hamas elements, culminating in annexation. “This can be achieved in three to four months,” he said.
He urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to adopt this plan in full immediately”.
Smotrich’s remarks came as Israeli forces intensified their offensive on Gaza City, amid growing international concern for the wellbeing of civilians. The vast majority of Gaza’s more than two million residents have been displaced at least once since the war began.
The proposal drew swift condemnation from Hamas, which said in a statement that it represented “an open endorsement of the policy of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing against our people”.
A longstanding advocate of the settler movement, Smotrich resides in a settlement in the occupied West Bank. He has previously called for the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza, from which Israel withdrew in 2005.
Just last week, he authorised a controversial development project in the E1 area near Jerusalem, which critics warn would threaten the viability of any future Palestinian state.
Smotrich said the E1 project was intended to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.” - August 29, 2025
