Families of hostages confronted Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at the opening of the tribute event held in the Knesset on Tuesday for the families of IDF reservist forces in the presence of reservist and bereaved families, MKs and public figures.
The hostage family members were furious that a tribute event was taking place before all the hostages were released. One of them even claimed: "You are just like Hamas."
The minister initially listened to the hostage family members, but when they began to attack him personally, he announced that he would allow them to speak but intended to focus on the reason for the event.
When they interrupted his speech, Smotrich requested the intervention of the Knesset security. "You will not silence us, there will be no anarchy here," the minister said to the families.
Smotrich also addressed the attack in Gaza. "Tonight, the gates of hell opened in Gaza. At 3a.m. I received a message from a relative who lives in the Gaza envelope that this is the first time she is happy to be unable to sleep because Gaza is shaking [from bombings] again. Gaza will stop shakng only after we completely dismantle Hamas, destroy its military and governance capabilities, return our brothers and sisters who are hostages, remove the Gazans according to President Trump's plan, and ensure that the residents of the south and all citizens of Israel will have real security – forever. We are not here to 'deter', not to 'reduce the threat'. We are here to win."
"I utterly reject the false statements of politicians like Yair Golan and others who, irresponsibly and completely detached from reality, link political reasons and timings to the continuation of the war. This is a gradual plan that we have built and planned during recent weeks since the new Chief of Staff took office, and it is being implemented solely based on operational and intelligence considerations and with one clear goal, which is to ensure Israel's security," the minister added.
He addressed the family members of the reservists and said: "The continuation of the war will look completely different from what has been done so far. We will need renewed mobilization, with strength, faith, and determination, until victory, with God's help. All of this is happening thanks to you, the soldiers, who left everything to go defend their homes and thanks to you – the families, the parents, the children, the partners – who have remained in the rear and have shouldered the burden, the worry, the long days and nights. You are not just holding up your home – you are holding up the State of Israel. You are the foundation that allows us to fight. You are the national resilience itself. Thanks to you, we will not stop until this mission is completed, until victory."