Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich publicly accused IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir of failing to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching Hamas, according to remarks published on Sunday following a contentious Cabinet meeting the previous night.
Smotrich claimed that Zamir is “forcing the political echelon to allow aid that ends up in Hamas’s hands and becomes logistical supply for the enemy in the middle of a war.”
The minister described the decision reached on Saturday night to approve the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip as “mistaken.”
He clarified that his criticism is not aimed at IDF soldiers or most commanders, but rather at senior leadership and the government’s handling of aid distribution. Smotrich also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of not enforcing political decisions on the military regarding this issue.
The minister insisted that the IDF is capable of controlling aid and called the ongoing failure “a matter of unwillingness, not inability.” He rejected the latest decision to allow aid through current channels and said further steps are being considered.
“It is unacceptable to claim that the best army in the world, which has demonstrated unprecedented capabilities and performance in Iran, against Hezbollah, in Syria, and in the military effort in Gaza, is incapable of meeting the challenge of distributing aid without it reaching Hamas and being used against our soldiers,” Smotrich said.
He concluded, “The decision made yesterday, against our position, to allow aid through the same bad old method is unacceptable to us, and we will consider our steps in response.”
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli publicly called on Netanyahu to reject any partial hostage deal with Hamas, speaking ahead of the prime minister’s visit to the United States.
In a statement posted on Sunday, Chikli said that a partial deal would leave hostages behind and allow Hamas to recover, undermining Israel’s war goals. He insisted that any agreement must include Hamas’s disarmament, the return of all hostages and continued Israeli control over key areas in Gaza.
“The emerging deal is highly problematic in terms of both eliminating the military threat and returning the hostages. Another partial deal that would leave behind at least 10 living hostages and allow Hamas valuable recovery time and territorial gains in the form of further withdrawal of our forces from their positions does not serve the achievement of the war’s objectives,” he said.
Chikli demanded full transparency regarding the identities and backgrounds of any terrorists released in future deals, criticizing previous lack of disclosure.
While expressing strong support for expanding the Abraham Accords with additional Arab countries, Chikli warned against any agreement with the current leadership in Damascus, calling Syrian leader Mohammed al-Sharaa a jihadist and a threat to Israel. He cautioned that Syria’s new government is hostile to Israel and closely aligned with Hamas.
Chikli concluded by urging vigilance against regional threats and wishing Netanyahu success on his U.S. visit.