The government convened on Thursday evening to approve the agreement with the Hamas terrorist organization. In an unusual development, American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner joined the meeting for approximately 30 minutes.
During the session, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir delivered sharp criticism of the deal. “I’m sitting here looking at the list of terrorists being released - murderers of babies, rapists of women,” he said. “With all due respect, the United States would never release people like this. I appreciate your efforts and your support for Israel, but let’s be honest - you would not back a deal of this nature. You speak of economic agreements and peace, but you cannot make peace with Hamas. They want to kill us.”
Witkoff responded with a personal anecdote: “I understand your perspective, but let me share a story. My son died of an overdose. I wanted to kill the person responsible, but when I got to court, I saw his parents - ashamed and pleading for forgiveness. And I forgave them.”
Ben Gvir replied, “Mr. Witkoff, that’s precisely the difference: the people who murdered us on October 7 are not asking for forgiveness. Their families are proud. They glorify murder. They want to kill Jews.”
Kushner added, “But Hamas is globally isolated and deterred.”
Ben Gvir countered, “Would you make peace with Hitler? Hamas is Hitler. They want to kill us.”
Earlier on Thursday evening, Ben Gvir commented on the emerging agreement to free all the hostages, saying that, alongside the great joy over their expected return, attention must be paid to the heavy price involved in the deal.
“Our hearts are filled with joy, happiness and excitement that all the hostages are expected to return home — the living to their families and to rehabilitation, and the dead for burial,” he said.
However, he added, “Alongside this joy it is absolutely forbidden to ignore the question of price: the release of thousands of terrorists, including 250 murderers who are expected to be freed from our prisons. This is an unbearable price. These are terrorists whom past experience shows will return to terrorism and to their craft of murdering Jews.”
He stressed that “the ministers from Otzma Yehudit will not be able to raise our hands in favor of a deal that releases those murderous terrorists, and we will oppose it in the government.”