Far-Right Israeli Ministers to Join Gaza Ceasefire Implementation Team Despite Racist Remarks: Report

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Israeli media reported Friday that a decision has been made to form a ministerial team responsible for implementing the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. The team includes Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who both opposed the deal and have repeatedly called for occupying Gaza and forcibly expelling its residents.

On Monday, the UN Security Council approved a US-drafted resolution authorizing a Trump-led transitional authority to temporarily govern Gaza and to deploy international forces mandated with “demilitarising” the war-torn Strip and rebuilding it.

The resolution has been rejected by many Palestinians and legal experts for introducing a new foreign “trusteeship” over Gaza, which many critics have described as a new form of colonialism.

The security cabinet voted on Thursday night to form a team of ministers who will oversee the implementation of the second stage of the ceasefire deal, the Kan public broadcaster reported.

The team will be made up of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the report added.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will be among the team.

However, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are widely known for encouraging settler violence against Palestinians and for advocating the “ethnic cleansing in Gaza.”

Earlier this year, the Netherlands declared both ministers persona non grata across the 29 countries of Europe’s Schengen Area because of their anti-Palestinian stances.

Smotrich and Ben-Gvir on Gaza Genocide

Smotrich said that winning the war means Gaza will be “totally destroyed”.

He called for a phased annexation of Gaza. For example, annexing a section weekly over several weeks, forcibly displacing Palestinians to the south, imposing siege on north and center.

Smotrich claimed that Gaza is an inseparable part of Israel, and wants re‑establishing Israeli settlements there in a way much larger than the old Gush Katif settlements. He also said Israel should discuss the revival of settlements in Gaza after war and encourage “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians, the forced displacement from Gaza.

He repeatedly said that aid must be blocked and that no grain of wheat should enter Gaza, and famine is being used as a “pressure” tactic.

Ben-Gvir said, “No deal, no ceasefire, no aid, just continued fighting.”

He said no humanitarian aid should enter Gaza and “there is no reason for a gram of food or aid to enter Gaza.”

He advocated for full occupation of Gaza, encouraged forced displacement of Palestinians and opposed partial ceasefire deals.

Ben‑Gvir said he’d be “very happy to live in Gaza” after the assault, and added he expects full military rule in which Israel controls the coastal enclave. He also expressed desire for settlements to return to Gaza, including those evacuated in 2005.

Ben-Gvir and Smotrich repeatedly threatened to leave the government if a Gaza ceasefire were signed.

Despite the ceasefire signed in October, Israel has continued to violate the agreement with killings, demolitions, land encroachment and severe restrictions on aid, which it had agreed to allow into besieged Gaza.

The Government Media Office in Gaza said the Israeli military carried out 393 documented violations as of Tuesday evening. Officials said these violations killed 279 Palestinians, most of them civilians. The victims include children, women, and elderly people.