Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich shared his vision for the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, predicting that within half a year, the population of the territory would be confined to just a narrow swath of land, with the remainder of the enclave “totally destroyed.”
In remarks at a “Settlements Conference” organized by the Makor Rishon newspaper in the West Bank settlement of Ofra, Smotrich also declared that Israel would “apply sovereignty” in the West Bank within the lifetime of the current government, which is due to expire in October 2026, unless elections are called earlier.
“Within a few months, we will be able to declare that we have won. Gaza will be totally destroyed,” Smotrich said. “In another six months, Hamas won’t exist as a functioning entity.” He told the listening audience that the population of Gaza, some 2.3 million Palestinians, would be “concentrated” in a narrow strip of land between the Egyptian border and the so-called Morag Corridor, which runs the width of Gaza between Khan Younis and the border city of Rafah. The area would be a “humanitarian” zone, the Religious Zionism leader said, “absent of Hamas and terrorism.” "The rest of the Strip, he added, “will be empty.” (Read More)
