Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday night sought to justify to members of his party the government’s decision to airdrop tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza, despite previous pledges to block such deliveries and against the wishes of IDF soldiers and the families of hostages.
Smotrich explained that he had considered resigning from the government, but emphasized, “In wartime, political considerations are inappropriate.”
In a message to his party members, he wrote, “We are advancing a sound strategic move, which is best not elaborated on at this stage. We will soon know whether it is successful and where we are headed.”
At a conference in April, Smotrich promised: “Read my lips: not a single grain of wheat will enter Gaza.” He added, “It’s astonishing that the IDF communicates with us through the media. Not even a single grain will enter the Strip,” he said at the time.
Meanwhile, Likud MK Moshe Saada on Monday sharply criticized the government’s decision to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza and implement regular pauses in fighting, calling it "an immoral and unethical policy."
In an interview with 103FM, Saada stated: “This policy funds, arms, and recruits fighters for Hamas to fight our children. We must be honest—Israel is transferring humanitarian aid that ultimately reaches Hamas, enabling them to arm and train terrorists.”
“I looked through history—there is no precedent of a nation supplying food to its enemy during combat. It’s inconceivable. We are a nation in distress,” he added.
“Israel should have already conquered the Gaza Strip entirely and imposed military rule. The sovereign distributes bread, and currently, Israel is allowing Hamas to control aid, which strengthens and trains them to continue attacking our children. This has never happened before in ancient or modern times—we are a nation in distress handing food to its enemy to fund and arm it. .... We must understand: Hamas is not interested in a deal now. These are their bargaining chips. What must be done is a full siege.”