Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu (Otzma Yehudit) on Wednesday morning spoke about the war against Hamas and the efforts to free the hostages kidnapped during the October 7 massacre.
In an interview with Kol Hai Radio, Eliyahu called for the hostages to be defined as prisoners of war, stating that efforts to recover them should only take place following Hamas' defeat.
“We need to define the hostages as POWs,” Eliyahu said. “You deal with prisoners only after victory. First, we must defeat Hamas.”
Eliyahu also criticized the prevailing notion that returning the hostages should be the top priority, asserting, “I believe the mission is not ‘hostages first,’ and this hesitation is what’s keeping them stuck there.”
He added, “Once Israel applies sovereignty over Gaza, it will benefit both Jews and Arabs. We will gain security and calm. Wherever there is Jewish settlement, there is security. Gaza is part of the Land of Israel, and it even contains an ancient synagogue.”
Last week, in an interview with Kol Barama Radio, Eliyahu commented on government actions in Gaza, stating: “We are not racists, and we fight only those who want to kill us.”
He declared that Gaza would become Jewish, explaining, “The government is racing to erase Gaza. Thank G-d we are erasing this evil. All of Gaza will be Jewish.”
Eliyahu also noted that Hamas' "starvation campaign" in Gaza is part of a pressure campaign against Israel: “This is their campaign. They have plenty of trucks inside Gaza — let the world worry about them.”
“The British didn’t feed the Nazis in World War II, and that’s how it is when a nation is at war. We are not supposed to be dealing with Gaza’s hunger.”