Sources close to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded on Thursday to a Channel 12 News report which claimed that the minister said in a meeting with families of hostages, "I am the majority—and the majority is not interested in a deal."
"This is a lie and a quote that was never said. The minister emphasized during the meeting his commitment to returning the hostages but noted that he is convinced most of the nation opposes surrendering to Hamas in a way that would endanger Israel's security," said the sources.
The report claimed that, in a conversation with residents of Kibbutz Nahal Oz on Wednesday, which lasted about an hour and a half, Smotrich said, "I am the majority of the nation, and the majority does not want the return of the hostages in exchange for ending the war."
According to the report, the kibbutz members confronted the minister with recent polls showing that his party does not pass the electoral threshold and that most of the nation does support a hostage deal.