Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir on Tuesday praised the resumption of Israeli military operations in Gaza, vowing that the renewed offensive would lead to the destruction of Hamas and the return of hostages.
“As we promised and explained, the IDF resumed an intense offensive on Gaza last night with the goal of destroying Hamas, bringing back all the hostages and eliminating the threat posed by the Gaza Strip to Israeli citizens,” tweeted Smotrich. “In doing so, we will restore security to the residents of the Gaza border region and to all Israeli citizens for the long term.”
Smotrich, a key figure in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, emphasized that the operation had been carefully prepared in recent weeks following the appointment of new IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir. “With God’s help, it will look completely different from what has been done so far,” he said, calling for “strength, faith, and determination until victory.”
The finance minister also justified his decision to remain in the government despite earlier disagreements over a hostage deal. “We remained in the government for this very moment, despite our opposition to the deal, and we are more determined than ever to complete the mission and destroy Hamas,” he wrote.
Otzma Yehudit party leader Ben-Gvir, Israel’s former national security minister, resigned from his ministerial position on Jan. 19 in protest against the last ceasefire deal. He too welcomed the renewed military offensive, and criticized previous pauses in the fighting.
“We welcome the return of the State of Israel, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to intense combat,” Ben-Gvir posted. “As we have said in recent months, when we withdrew: Israel must return to fighting in Gaza. This is the right, moral, ethical and most justified step in order to destroy the Hamas terrorist organization and bring back our hostages. Hamas’s existence cannot be tolerated—it must be dismantled.”
IDF strikes Gaza after Hamas rejects proposals
The renewed military campaign in Gaza follows what Israeli officials described as Hamas’s “repeated refusal” to agree to proposed deals for hostage releases.
The IDF announced early Tuesday morning that it had launched “extensive” strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza. The Israeli prime minister’s office stated that the military was acting after Hamas rejected multiple proposals from U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and other mediators.
“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” said Netanyahu’s office. The goal remains to achieve “the objectives of the war as they have been determined by the political echelon, including the release of all of our hostages, the living and the deceased,” it continued.
U.S. reacts: Trump administration briefed before strikes
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the Israeli government had consulted with Washington ahead of resuming military operations in Gaza.
“Jerusalem consulted the Trump administration before moving forward,” Leavitt told Fox News. “President Donald Trump has made it clear: Hamas, the Houthis, Iran—all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel but also the United States of America will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose.”
She warned that all “the terrorists in the Middle East” should take Trump “very seriously when he says he is not afraid to stand for law-abiding people … and our friend and our ally Israel.”