Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Tuesday that he intends to stay in the government despite the introduction of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip after threatening that his party would leave the coalition if even one grain of flour were to be delivered.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided on Saturday to open passages and increase aid deliveries into Gaza following the international outrage and criticism of Israel's handling of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the persistent reports of hunger in the Strip. Netanyahu even approved use of the air force to drop aid packages into Gaza's more populated areas.
Armed Hamas terrorists take over aid truck in Gaza
(IDF)
"No one in the world would allow us to starve two million civilians, so we must allow aid to be brought in to the Strip, he said, but it must not reach Hamas."
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But despite his statement, the IDF released images on Tuesday that showed Hamas terrorists taking control of aid trucks, threatening civilians with their weapons.
Smortrich explained his policy shift by laying out his ambition to establish Jewish settlements throughout the Strip. Returning to the areas previously settled is too little, he said. "If I am still in the government, one can assume that great things are about to happen, making this disgrace worthwhile," he said.
Smotrich spoke to a forum of settlers promoting the renewal of settlements in Gaza and said he rejects claims that Israel should disconnect from Gaza. 'This is part of the greater Israel," he said.