Minister of Finance and Religious Zionism party chairman Bezalel Smotrich launched a scathing attack on Sunday following the cabinet's approval to continue allowing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
In a statement released today, Smotrich accused the IDF Chief of Staff of a fundamental failure in managing the aid distribution, calling it a systemic flaw that endangers the lives of Israeli soldiers.
“Partial and biased leaks from the cabinet have always been disgraceful and harmful to state security. This must stop,” Smotrich wrote, referring to recent briefings leaked from the security cabinet.
On the humanitarian aid issue, Smotrich stated: “The truth must be told: Despite significant achievements on all fronts of the war, when it comes to ensuring humanitarian aid does not reach Hamas, the Chief of Staff is failing in his duty. This forces the political echelon to allow aid that ultimately reaches Hamas and becomes logistical support for the enemy in the midst of war.”
He continued, “The cabinet and the Prime Minister made a grave mistake yesterday by approving the delivery of aid in a manner that also provides a lifeline to Hamas. I’ve consistently warned against this since the first day of the war, and I won’t be deterred by briefings against me or attempts to silence this criticism.”
Smotrich emphasized that his criticism was not directed at the army as a whole or its soldiers: “This is by no means a critique of the IDF itself, certainly not of our heroic soldiers in active and reserve duty, nor of the majority of commanders. On the contrary - this demand comes directly from them, from their families, and from anyone with common sense. It aims to prevent the strengthening of the enemy and to protect our soldiers’ lives.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also not spared criticism. “With all due respect, my criticism also extends to the Prime Minister, who throughout the months of war has failed to implement the political leadership’s decisions and enforce them on the senior IDF command - particularly on this critical issue of defeating Hamas and securing the return of the hostages.”
Smotrich concluded by saying: “It is unacceptable to claim that the best army in the world - which has demonstrated unprecedented capabilities in Iran, against Hezbollah, in Syria, and in Gaza - is unable to control the distribution of aid to prevent it from reaching Hamas and being used against our troops. Yesterday’s decision, made contrary to our position, to resume the flawed and outdated aid delivery method is unacceptable, and we will consider our response accordingly.”