{"id":2431078,"date":"2025-05-05T16:06:01","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T20:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israel-should-embrace-occupation-of-gaza-finance-minister\/"},"modified":"2025-05-05T16:08:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T20:08:31","slug":"israel-should-embrace-occupation-of-gaza-finance-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israel-should-embrace-occupation-of-gaza-finance-minister\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel should embrace &#8216;occupation&#8217; of Gaza: Finance minister"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fisrael-should-embrace-occupation-of-gaza-finance-minister%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2431078&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has publicly stated that Israel should embrace the &#8220;occupation&#8221; of Gaza and intends for the contry to maintain its presence in the region for an indefinite period, even in the context of hostage negotiations. He emphasized the importance of controlling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-faces-mounting-pressure-to-act-in-ethiopian-conflict\/\" title=\"Biden Administration Faces Mounting Pressure to Act in Ethiopian Conflict\">humanitarian aid<\/a> to prevent supplies from reaching Hamas and asserted that any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-draws-wartime-contrast-with-house-gop-dysfunction\/\" title=\"Biden highlights House GOP dysfunction, emphasizes ...time contrast.\">future military operation<\/a> in Gaza would not involve retreat, particularly concerning the hostages.<\/p>\n<p>Smotrich&#8217;s comments come as Israel prepares for a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >meaningful military offensive aimed<\/a> at defeating Hamas and reclaiming hostages held by the group.He indicated that success in these operations would be essential before discussing the long-term political status of Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister benjamin Netanyahu echoed these sentiments, declaring the objective of the military action as the decisive defeat of Hamas.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/netanyahu-defies-biden-announces-major-west-bank-move\/\" title=\"Netanyahu challenges Biden, reveals significant West Bank decision.\">situation remains complex<\/a>, as military operations could jeopardize the lives of hostages and lead to significant humanitarian consequences for the Palestinian population. Tensions are high as israel seeks to solidify its control while balancing the challenges posed by hostage situations and international relations.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Israeli finance minister says country should embrace &lsquo;occupation&rsquo; of Gaza<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2113971\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Israeli<\/a> Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday that the citizens of Israel should embrace the word &ldquo;occupation&rdquo; and that the country will not leave <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gaza\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Gaza<\/a> even with another hostage deal.<\/p>\n<p>Israel plans to occupy the Gaza Strip and stay in the Palestinian territory for an undefined amount of time, the <em>Associated Press<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-05-05-2025-d22caabfd2cf89e83fe06e649e6438ba\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reported Monday<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3401261\/israel-airstrikes-against-houthi-rebels\/\">Israel launches airstrikes against Houthi rebels<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3400999\/paparazzi-tourists-vatican-city-conclave-media\/\">Paparazzi and tourists hunt for stray cardinals as papal conclave fever builds<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3400872\/europe-super-grant-attract-us-researcher-government-cuts\/\">Europe launches &#8216;super grant&#8217; to attract US researchers hit by government cuts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;We are finally going to occupy the Gaza Strip,&rdquo; Smotrich <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/smotrich-israel-should-embrace-gaza-occupation-idf-wont-leave-even-for-hostages\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">told Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal<\/a>. &ldquo;We will stop being afraid of the word &lsquo;occupation.&#8217;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are finally taking control of all humanitarian aid, so that it does not become supplies for Hamas. We are separating Hamas from the population, cleansing the Strip, bringing back the hostages &mdash; and defeating Hamas,&rdquo; he said before adding that once a new offensive in Gaza begins, there will be &ldquo;no retreat from the territories we have conquered, not even in exchange for hostages.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Israeli soldiers gather on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, by the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel. (AP Photo\/Ariel Schalit)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The occupation of Gaza is expected to be a part of a larger expanded offensive with hostage negotiations at a stalemate. The Israeli military called up thousands of reservists to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/idf-calls-up-tens-of-thousands-of-reservists-ahead-of-expanded-gaza-offensive\/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&amp;utm_medium=desktop_site&amp;utm_campaign=smotrich-israel-should-embrace-gaza-occupation-idf-wont-leave-even-for-hostages\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">bolster its ranks<\/a> before the planned operation.<\/p>\n<p>Smotrich believes Israel can only retrieve the Hamas-held hostages by launching an offensive.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The only way to release the hostages is to subdue Hamas,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Any retreat will bring about the next Oct. 7.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Israel wants to defeat Hamas before working out a solution with Gaza.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Once we occupy and stay [in Gaza], we can talk about sovereignty,&rdquo; Smotrich said. &ldquo;But I did not demand that this be included among the goals of the war. First, we will defeat Hamas and prevent it from existing.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Israel plans to launch the massive ground operation if a deal isn&rsquo;t reached by May 15, around the date of President Donald Trump&rsquo;s visit to the Middle East, <em>Axios<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/05\/05\/israel-gaza-destroy-trump-deal?utm_campaign=editorial&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reported<\/a>, adding that, without a deal, Israel would displace around 2 million people to a single &ldquo;humanitarian area.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;One thing will be clear: there will be no in-and-out,&rdquo; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Monday video message posted on X. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll call up reserves to come, hold territory &mdash; we&rsquo;re not going to enter and then exit the area, only to carry out raids afterward. That&rsquo;s not the plan. The intention is the opposite.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There will be a movement of the population to protect them,&rdquo; Netanyahu said of the &ldquo;intensified operation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The alternative to remaining in a humanitarian zone would be for Palestinians to leave the enclave &ldquo;voluntarily&rdquo; for other countries &ldquo;in line with President&nbsp;Trump&rsquo;s vision for Gaza,&rdquo;&nbsp;an Israeli official reportedly said.<\/p>\n<p>Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military chief of staff, said a full ground operation will jeopardize the hostages. &ldquo;In a plan for a full-scale maneuver, we won&rsquo;t necessarily reach the hostages,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/israel-okays-expanding-gaza-op-as-idf-chief-said-to-warn-we-could-lose-the-hostages\/?utm_campaign=most_popular&amp;utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=article_end&amp;utm_content=8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Channel 13<\/a> quoted Zamir as saying in a meeting. &ldquo;Keep in mind that we could lose them.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He added that the war&rsquo;s goals of defeating Hamas and rescuing the hostages&nbsp;&ldquo;are problematic in relation to each other.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Netanyahu said last week that the &ldquo;supreme&rdquo; goal of the war is to defeat Hamas.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3400337\/yemen-missile-israel-flights-officials-vote-plans-gaza-war\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">A MISSILE FROM YEMEN HALTS FLIGHTS IN ISRAEL HOURS BEFORE TOP OFFICIALS VOTE ON PLAN FOR GAZA WAR<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Returning the hostages is &ldquo;a very important goal,&rdquo; Netanyahu continued, but then added that &ldquo;the war has a supreme goal, and the supreme goal is victory over our enemies, and this we will achieve.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Israel occupied the Gaza Strip for decades until leaving in 2005.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2113971\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2113971\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that Israel should accept the term &#8220;occupation&#8221; regarding Gaza, asserting that the country will remain there regardless of any hostage agreements<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2431079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AP25042467606337.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[39545,20083,4671,54649,5894],"class_list":["post-2431078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-finance-minister","tag-gaza","tag-israel","tag-occupation","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AP25042467606337.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2431078"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2431082,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431078\/revisions\/2431082"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2431079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2431078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2431078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2431078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}