Far-Right minister Smotrich slams Netanyahu for pausing offensive to discuss Trump’s Peace Plan
GAZA-Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 61 Palestinians even as US President Donald Trump said Israel has “temporarily stopped the bombing” to give his Gaza plan “a chance.”
The escalation came shortly after Hamas submitted its response to Trump’s Gaza proposal. In its reply, Hamas agreed to hand over the administration of Gaza to a team of Palestinian technocrats and to release all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
However, the group’s statement did not address the issue of disarmament but said it was ready to “immediately enter” mediated negotiations.
Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, at least 67,074 people have been killed and 169,430 injured, with thousands more feared trapped beneath the rubble.
Meanwhile, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for agreeing to pause the Gaza offensive to allow talks on the US president’s proposal.
In his comments posted on X, Smotrich condemned the temporary halt, marking his first response since Hamas announced it had accepted parts of Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
Smotrich, a leading figure in Netanyahu’s coalition government and a resident of an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank, has repeatedly called for Israel to annex the Gaza Strip.
NP