Israel’s Ben-Gvir Urges Netanyahu to “Conquest” Gaza and Halt Aid Amid Ceasefire Talks
Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir once again called for the “complete conquest” of the Gaza Strip, the forced displacement of its residents, and a halt to humanitarian aid to achieve victory.
In a post on X, he wrote that any ceasefire agreement that would demilitarise Gaza in the future or include Israeli withdrawal from “conquered territories”, the release of Palestinian prisoners or “revitalisation of Hamas with humanitarian aid” would constitute a “reward for terrorism”.
“The only way to achieve victory and securely return our hostages is through the complete conquest of the Strip, a total cessation of ‘humanitarian’ aid, and the encouragement to emigration. I call on the prime minister to abandon the path of surrender and return to the path of victory.”
Hamas said it had responded on Friday in “a positive spirit” to a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal. Hamas has made requests for three core amendments to the proposal.
Hamas has insisted that any ceasefire agreement must include guarantees that Israel will permanently end its war on Gaza.
The Palestinian group said it was “fully prepared, with all seriousness, to immediately enter a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing” the latest ceasefire framework.
US President Donald Trump had announced a “final proposal” for a 60-day ceasefire in the nearly 21-month-old war between Israel and Hamas.
In response, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to send a negotiating team to Qatar for talks. Netanyahu’s office said the team would travel to the Qatari capital, Doha, on Sunday after the Israeli leader instructed negotiators “to accept the invitation for close talks”.
But the statement said that “the changes Hamas is requesting to make to the Qatari proposal were delivered to us last night and are unacceptable to Israel”.
At least 57,338 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza, which began in October 2023, while at least 135,957 others have been wounded. Israeli attacks have laid waste to Gaza, spurring a dire humanitarian crisis and left the territory on the brink of famine.
The Palestinian group also wants humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza through United Nations-led international mechanisms instead of the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
More than 700 Palestinians have been killed and thousands wounded while seeking aid at or near GHF sites since the foundation began operating in the Strip in late May.
The third request was about where Israeli forces could be in the Gaza Strip as part of this deal.
This is not the first time Ben-Gvir, along with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has called for halting aid, forcibly displacing residents, and occupying Gaza, even threatening to quit the cabinet if a ceasefire is approved.
