Freeing Israeli Captives ‘Not Most Important Goal’ in Assault on Gaza – Smotrich

April 21, 2025 News
Israeli far-right Minister Bezalel Smotrich. (Photo: 4800, via Wikimedia Commons)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Smotrich’s remarks have been met with severe criticism from the families of around 59 remaining Israeli captives believed to be held in Gaza.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday that securing the release of the Israeli captives held by Hamas was “not the most important goal” in its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

“We have to say the truth, returning the hostages is not the most important thing, “ the far-right minister reportedly told Radio Galey Israel in an interview, according to The Times of Israel.

“It is obviously a very important goal, but if you want to destroy Hamas so that there can’t be another October 7th, you need to understand that there can’t be a situation where Hamas remains in Gaza,” he continued.

‘No Biden, No Blinken’

In a post on X, the radio station quoted Smotrich as also saying: “Let’s make a decision to end Gaza once and for all, let’s create trust with the people and prove that we are achieving the goal and destroying Hamas.”

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated this morning that freeing the Israeli captives is not the most important goal of the ongoing war, in response to growing calls to prioritize their return above all else.

“The excuses are over, there is no Biden, no Blinken, no Gallant, no Chief of Staff who physically prevented the cessation of humanitarian aid – there are no excuses and I say to the Prime Minister: There is no time for this. The alternative to surrender is to take territory in the Strip and destroy Hamas,” he added.

In response to Smotrich’s statements, the families of the captives said the government has “consciously” given up on freeing them.

‘Shame’

“The families have no words this morning except one: shame,” the group said in a statement on X.

“At least the minister is revealing the hard truth to the public – this government consciously decided to give up on the hostages,” the statement added.

In a direct message to Smotrich they said: “History will remember how you sealed your heart to your brothers and sisters in captivity and chose not to save them – some from death and some from disappearance.”

According to the group, 59 captives are still being held in Gaza, out of the more than 200 taken during the resistance operation of October 7, 2023.

Over 100 have been released since then, mostly via negotiations between Hamas and Israel facilitated by Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators.

A ceasefire agreement which came into effect in January collapsed early March when Israel resumed its genocidal attack on Gaza with numerous airstrikes across the enclave.

Opposition’s Criticism

Benny Gantz, leader of the opposition National Unity party, said on X, “Smotrich’s erroneous position is a political obstacle to the return of the kidnapped.”

“But there is no forgiveness for his heartlessness in his statements as a public leader, who was a cabinet member during the October 7 disaster in the face of families who go through hell every day,” he added.

For his part, Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Lieberman is quoted by the Al Jazeera Arabic news site as saying that returning the “kidnapped” soldiers from the Gaza Strip is not a matter of debate, but rather a moral and national duty.

Netanyahu Vows to Continue ‘Mission’

In a video message on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out an end to the military campaign in Gaza, saying: “I have directed the IDF to respond vigorously and to further increase the pressure on Hamas.”

He claimed that, “We are in a decisive stage of the campaign, and this stage calls for patience and determination in order to win.”

Netanyahu swore to “complete” the “mission” in Gaza by continuing the military campaign.

“The mission has yet to be completed and I intend to complete it without surrendering to Hamas,” he stated.

Hamas ‘Ready’ to Begin Talks

On Thursday, Hamas said the movement was ready to begin negotiations with Israel on a “comprehensive” deal to release all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners’ freedom, a complete ceasefire and full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

“The movement is ready to immediately begin negotiations on a comprehensive package, whereby all captives held by the resistance and an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons are released, in exchange for a complete cessation of the war against our people, a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the commencement of reconstruction, and an end to the blockade,” Dr. Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamas in Gaza and the group’s chief negotiator, said in a video speech.

Al-Hayya said that Hamas and the resistance factions were “keen to halt the barbaric aggression and war of genocide against the Gaza Strip.”

“We worked for more than a year and a half of arduous negotiations to achieve this goal, until we reached the January 17 agreement in its three stages,” he added.

Staggering Death Toll

Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.

On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 51,000, wounding more than 116,000, with over 14,000 still missing.

Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.

Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.

The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

Related Articles

2 Comments

  1. ” Double Speak ” 101…
    they plan to continue the war, which they cannot win, no matter how they try. They had already lost by November of 2023, one month after it started. They’re just murdering innocent people for no reason, but to continue receiving aid from my scumbag US government. And to appease the shady Zionists who literally paid Trump to gain his approval, so they can annex West Bank. None of these people are good, decent Jews. They are savages. Why do they still get preferential treatment? It’s time for the Israeli citizens to storm the government and remove their leaders by force. The entire world stands by and watches as the ZioNazis murder babies…
    How much is too much???

    Reply

  2. That is not the first time Smotrich’s said something like that “Not most important goal” and the same with former Minister of Defense Gallant “secondary issue”. It’s a bit rich to say “Shame! Shame!” Now the “Shame!” is Hamas and Palestine is standing while the “Israeli” regime is collapsing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*