Bezalel Smotrich
Bezalel SmotrichFlash90

MK Bezalel Smotrich (Jewish Home) called Friday to "bring Hamas to its knees" in order to force it to release Israeli MIAs Lt. Hadar Goldin and Staff Sergeant Oron Shaul, who have been held by Hamas since 2014. Both soldiers are presumed to be dead.

Smotrich spoke at an annual event on the Gaza border, in the presence of the family of Lt. Goldin.

"In the course of the last few days," said Smotrich, "we have gotten more than 50 MKs to sign a petition to the Prime Minister demanding that any humanitarian arrangement in Gaza include the return of our boys first."

"There is no greater interest for the State of Israel than the return of our boys," he stated. "We will not agree to improve the humanitarian conditions in Gaza before that. We have an interest in having parents in Israel know that they send the boys to battle and we work to bring them back."

Toughness on this issue is also needed "so that people in Gaza understand that we have red lines," he added. "The right path of action is to make Hamas prisoners' conditions more difficult," explained MK Smotrich, "so that they do not receive one millimeter beyond [what] international law [prescribes]. Beyond the bare minimum, do not allow anything into Gaza. Bring them to their knees, that is our security interest."