Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri, who serves as an observer in the War Cabinet, provide a glimpse into the cabinet's deliberations on Thursday evening, claiming in an interview that he has been taking sleeping pills as he deals with the weight of the responsibility involved.
"The security situation in the south and in the north keeps me awake at night. Unfortunately, I started using sleeping pills to fall asleep at night. It's not just the soldiers and the hostages. These are decisions that affect the entire Jewish people in Israel and the world. There isn't a time when Iran and others don't try to harm the Jews of the world, in synagogues, in Chabad centers and in embassies. They are being thwarted, but the decisions are not simple," Deri said in an interview with Radio Kol Barama.
He described how the defense establishment is dealing with the Swords of Iron war. "I know the strength and capabilities of the system as well as the limitations. I was surprised on October 7 like everyone else. We thought Hamas was deterred but [Yahya] Sinwar managed to deceive us and everyone fell into his trap."
"More than we were surprised on Simchat Torah, we were surprised by the strength of the scope of Hamas' capabilities that we discovered in Gaza. When the IDF is in Gaza, Hamas cannot surprise anymore."
On the issue of taking responsibility for the war, Deri clarified, "There is no person among the leadership who does not have responsibility, some have more and some have less. There is a difference between responsibility and guilt."
Deri commented on the possibility of another hostage release deal and said, "It is clear that any proposal that comes will demand high prices from us. Any decision that means the end of the war, the withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip, the continuation of Hamas rule in Gaza and guarantees that we will not attack there - I will oppose it."
He criticized Qatar, saying, "They built Hamas. Al Jazeera is the biggest channel of incitement and hatred. We accept its mediation in order to save lives, but we have not become friends."
Deri addressed the controversy surrounding the Jewish settlement in Gaza, saying, "I want us to settle in Damascus as well, but there is a government, a War Cabinet and an expanded cabinet, which determined the goals of the war. Anything that is not included in these goals is not interesting."