Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich claimed on Tuesday, a year and a half into the Gaza War, that "in another six months, there will be no Hamas in Gaza, period." Speaking at the Settlement Conference held in the West Bank settlement of Ofra, Smotrich was asked how the victory picture would look and replied: "When Gaza is completely destroyed, its citizens are concentrated south of the Morag Corridor and begin to leave in large numbers to third countries."
The minister elaborated, stating that in six months—two years after October 7—"there will be no Hamas in Gaza, period. Not as a functioning entity, not militarily, not civilian, not governing. There will be no body capable of paying salaries or managing anything. Additionally, the entire population will be concentrated in a completely sterile area without Hamas, where humanitarian aid will be provided."
According to Smotrich: "The rest of the strip will be empty. It will take more time to demilitarize it, and there may still be isolated terrorists appearing here and there like tired, hungry and thirsty zombies who will eventually surrender, and the IDF will remove them. Our hostages, God willing, will have returned, I hope very soon, with Hamas' surrender. This is essentially the plan we approved in the cabinet two days ago."
"I think within a few months, we can definitively declare victory," he added. "We will be able to say Hamas no longer functions as an entity, and there is no longer a threat from Gaza to the citizens of the State of Israel."
Regarding the departure of Gaza’s residents, Smotrich mentioned that this is "an event that will change reality and the history of the State of Israel for decades to come. We must invest much more in this, primarily diplomatically, with the United States, to secure agreements with those third countries. There is good progress in these talks, but it needs to become much more significant."
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In his vision, Smotrich added, "the IDF continues to cleanse, to turn over every stone, and to destroy infrastructure. Gaza’s civilians are concentrated in the south, completely desperate, understanding that there is no future, no purpose, and nothing left for them in Gaza. They will seek relocation and to start new lives elsewhere. This puts Israel in a different position and impacts the entire region, including this place we are sitting in, for the next 50 years."
The Qatari perspective
Meanwhile, as a deal for the release of hostages appears more distant amid approval of the Gideon's Chariots plan, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Majed Al-Ansari, stated that "mediation efforts regarding Gaza continue despite the difficult situation." He added: "Humanitarian aid cannot be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations. The world recognizes Qatar’s role as a fair mediator. Our mediation, along with Egypt and the United States, focuses on ending the war."
He further stated: "Mediation efforts have led to the release of more hostages than what has been achieved through military action. We call for international pressure to find solutions that will allow aid to enter Gaza. Israel’s policy of using aid as a weapon must stop."