National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Ben Gvir made his position clear: he wants the total defeat of Hamas. “Not just a superficial action, like what happened in southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah continued to control the area. We need the collapse and dismantling of Hamas from the ground up, with no partial control or oversight left in the Gaza Strip.”
Earlier, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich outlined the red lines he conveyed to Netanyahu ahead of the Trump meeting.
Smotrich demanded “a full and complete exit of Hamas from Gaza and a total dismantling of all terror infrastructure, above and below ground, with the IDF remaining permanently within the perimeter, including the Philadelphi Corridor, maintaining full operational freedom throughout the Strip, preventing smuggling, and protecting the southern communities.”
He emphasized that “there must be no involvement of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, neither now nor in the future, neither explicitly nor implicitly,” and added that “there will be no mention, even indirectly, of a Palestinian state that could endanger Israel’s existence.”
Smotrich also insisted that Qatar have no role whatsoever in handling matters in Gaza.
This morning, one of President Trump’s advisors told Axios: “Hamas has agreed to the deal 100%. Now we’re waiting for the President to work his magic on Netanyahu.”