Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs responded on Tuesday evening to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's claim that he had prevented the advancement of a hostage release deal, and stated that the only side that has thus far prevented a deal is Hamas.
"I was there in all the forums that discussed POWs and missing persons," Fuchs wrote. "The current deal, which is the same deal from May 27, was rejected by Hamas for six months, and even now it has not been approved by them."
He added, "Throughout this period, if Hamas had given a positive response, it would have had a majority in the Cabinet and the government. I’m speaking from knowledge. The Prime Minister did not move an inch from his position. The only party that thwarted the deal—Hamas!"
Earlier on Tuesday, Ben Gvir denounced the emerging hostage deal as surrender to Hamas, and urged Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to join him in resigning from the government in protest should Israel accept it.
"The deal is a surrender to Hamas," he declared. "Our political power prevented its implementation before, but now new government supporters are in favor, so we need significant opposition to stop it."
He appealed to Minister Smotrich: "Let's join forces against this surrender deal. Our party alone can't block it. We must inform the Prime Minister that if he proceeds, we'll leave the government. Even in opposition, we won't topple him, yet cooperation is our only way to prevent this surrender and honor our soldiers' sacrifices."
Ben Gvir criticized the deal's plans to release many terrorist prisoners, and claimed it will reintroduce threats to Israel's southern border, undoing military achievements. He stressed that the deal was not a hard decision to rescue hostages but a conscious choice risking many Israeli lives. He calls for halting humanitarian aid to Gaza and intensifying military action against Hamas.
Smotrich also criticized the deal, calling it catastrophic for national security. He stated that his party would not support a deal in which archterrorists are released, which hampers the war efforts, and abandons the hostages. He urged strong military action to end Hamas' control and recover all the hostages.