Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Israel’s strategic affairs minister: Hamas must fall for Gaza war to end

Ron Dermer says a ceasefire depends on the terrorist group losing power and no longer controlling the coastal enclave.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) is joined by Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and other officials for a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on July 9, 2025. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) is joined by Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and other officials for a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on July 9, 2025. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

American columnist, writer and political adviser Dan Senor interviewed Israel’s strategic affairs minister in Jerusalem on Sunday for his “Call Me Back” podcast. Part one aired online on Monday, with the second part set to be published on Tuesday.

In a candid discussion, Dermer addressed Israel’s geopolitical realities following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023; subsequent regional developments; the confrontation with Iran; and the evolving security doctrine.

“Right now, what we’re trying to do is get to a ceasefire. We have a team in Doha as we’re speaking. I hope that we can move this forward and achieve a temporary ceasefire, which can hopefully lead to a permanent one if we can secure the minimum conditions necessary to end the war—namely, that Hamas cannot remain in power,” he said.

The minister argued that removing Hamas from Gaza is the absolute baseline required for victory in the conflict. “The minimal requirement is that the force responsible for the Oct. 7 attack is no more. They have lost control of Gaza due to their decision to act,” Dermer asserted.

Watch Part 1:

See more from JNS Staff
Regavim-led visit points to sewage, dumping and construction encroaching on Area C, kilometers from Jewish state’s population centers.
The Lausanne Project aims to build a generation that is proud of its identity and deeply connected to Jewish values and Israel.
Wael Mahmoud Abd al-Halim died in a precision overnight strike in Baalbek, the IDF said.
The incursion was said to be the fourth within 24 hours and the 14th since the Bashan Pioneers group was founded.
“There are very few peoples whose capital today is the same as it was 3,000 years ago,” the Israeli prime minister noted.
The Jerusalem ceremony came on Somaliland’s Independence Day and marked another step in ties between the two countries after Israeli recognition in December.