National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sharply blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday for the death of a soldier killed during a Hamas abduction attempt, saying ongoing negotiations with the terror group encourage further kidnappings.
Ben-Gvir said the talks, which he described as “reckless deals,” motivated Hamas terrorists to try and abduct IDF reserve soldier Master Sergeant Avraham Azulay. Azulay, 25, from Yitzhar, was killed Wednesday in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, after resisting terrorists who tried to pull him from his engineering vehicle during an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation to dismantle terror infrastructure carried out by the Golani Brigade’s 12th Battalion.
According to the IDF, Hamas fighters emerged from a tunnel and attempted to drag Azulay out of his vehicle. He resisted and was fatally shot during the struggle, while nearby Israeli forces opened fire, killing several terrorists and preventing the abduction.
Azulay, a former paratrooper who had served more than 250 days in reserve duty since the war began on October 7, was married just three months ago and leaves behind his wife, parents and siblings. He is the third resident of Yitzhar killed in the conflict.
“The more the negotiations for reckless deals advance, the greater the motivation for Hamas to carry out more kidnappings,” Ben-Gvir said. “Last night, it cost us the life of an IDF soldier.”
He called on Netanyahu to halt all negotiations, saying the lives of Israeli soldiers and southern civilians outweigh any political or economic agreements. “Give the order to crush Hamas completely,” Ben-Gvir said. “We have no soldiers to spare in reckless deals.”
Ben-Gvir later added that he was not accusing Netanyahu of attempts to kidnap soldiers, but that he was being sharply critical of him over the cease-fire negotiations.
"Contrary to Fake News, I did not accuse the Prime Minister of attempting to kidnap our fighters. The Prime Minister is working tirelessly for Israel's security, but with regard to the deal that is taking shape, I sharply criticize him. What I said was clear and simple: When you negotiate with Hamas in favor of deals that will release terrorists and withdraw our forces, he gets an appetite to carry out more kidnappings. This is certainly sharp criticism, but in no way is it an ugly blood libel and a distortion of my words," he said.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich canceled scheduled meetings and convened consultations amid reports of progress in talks in Doha. Privately, Smotrich warned that any Israeli withdrawal from areas captured at high cost by Israeli troops would be a “severe betrayal” of soldiers and their families.
“Withdrawing repeatedly from areas won in battles, allowing the enemy to rearm and fortify, and then sending soldiers to retake them is an illogical and immoral slap in the face,” he said. Smotrich was recently seen dancing at a concert hours after the deaths of five soldiers were announced.
At a political-security cabinet meeting Sunday, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich opposed sending humanitarian aid to northern Gaza alongside designated humanitarian zones, just before an Israeli delegation’s planned departure for proximity talks in Doha. The cabinet rejected Hamas' demands for changes to the partial deal as “unacceptable.”
During the meeting, Smotrich clashed loudly with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir over the military’s handling of humanitarian separation orders. Netanyahu intervened to calm tensions.
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If a deal is reached, the cabinet-approved humanitarian zones will be established south of the Morag Corridor, where Netanyahu intends to relocate Gaza’s civilian population. Zamir warned that a mass movement of Palestinians to the area amid harsh humanitarian conditions could endanger Israeli troops.
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich also accused the military of failing to implement political directives to secure 75% of the Gaza Strip in the ongoing Operation Gideon’s Chariots.
Since the last ceasefire ended, 40 IDF soldiers have been killed in Gaza. In total, 889 soldiers have died since the war began, including 447 during the ground offensive. Approximately 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 22 confirmed alive.