A cabinet minister said Monday that a broader military offensive in Gaza is necessary even if it endangers the lives of hostages held there, drawing fierce backlash from families of the captives and fueling political tensions over the government’s wartime strategy.
Orit Strock, minister of settlements and national missions and a leading figure in the far-right Religious Zionism party, told Kol Berama radio that Israel must launch a “decisive battle” in areas of the Gaza Strip that the military has largely avoided due to the presence of hostages.
“There is an entire area — around 25% of the territory, as the chief of staff defined it — that has been designated ‘do not touch’ because of the hostages,” Strock said. “But you can’t win a war that way. It’s not logical and not acceptable.”
When asked whether such an operation could result in hostages being harmed or killed, she replied, “We must try very hard not to, but it could happen. Yes, it could happen.”
Strock also said she believes increased military pressure is key to forcing Hamas to release the captives. “Hamas is dragging its feet on purpose — the hostages are its asset,” she said. “And in response, Israel is doing the splits. That’s unacceptable, and I completely oppose it.”
Her remarks provoked an immediate response from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which accused her of abandoning both the hostages and Israel’s moral foundations. “Strock is pushing for the sacrifice of the hostages and the values upon which Israel was built — all for a senseless, endless war,” the group said in a statement. “She is gambling with their fate and normalizing their captivity. It is a disgrace to the government.”
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The interview comes amid growing pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over stalled hostage negotiations and an expansion of ground operations in the Gaza Strip. On Sunday, the IDF issued an evacuation order for parts of Deir al-Balah — an area previously untouched by ground maneuvers.