Israel plans decisive victory over Hamas by 2025
- Bezalel Smotrich detailed a plan aiming for a decisive victory over Hamas by the end of 2025.
- The strategy includes military actions and an ultimatum for Hamas to surrender or face intensified pressure.
- The ongoing conflict and dissatisfaction with the Netanyahu government have repercussions for Israeli politics.
In a significant political development, on October 7, 2023, Israel faced a devastating invasion and massacre orchestrated by Hamas in its northwestern Negev region. Following this event, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich laid out a detailed plan during a press conference, emphasizing that Israel could and must achieve a decisive victory over Hamas by the end of 2025. He criticized calls for surrender to Hamas and stated that the only acceptable outcome was total victory, which necessitated a comprehensive campaign involving military action and strategic pressure on the terrorist organization. Smotrich’s plan includes an ultimatum for Hamas that demands surrender, release of hostages, disarmament, and eviction of its leaders from Gaza. If these conditions were to be rejected, he advocated for an intensive ground operation led by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He underscored the importance of severing ties between Hamas and the civilian population of Gaza, proposing that Israel manage humanitarian aid while relocating civilians from conflict zones and maintaining sovereignty over the region gradually. In conjunction with Smotrich's plan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting, wherein Trump instructed Netanyahu to pursue a swift, comprehensive military victory rather than engaging in partial agreements or hostage exchange deals. This marked a notable shift from the earlier focus on negotiations involving hostage releases. Netanyahu reiterated the abandonment of any non-comprehensive deals and the emphasis on returning all hostages in a single agreement, underscoring the Israeli government’s resolve to achieve a conclusive outcome against Hamas. As tensions escalated and public discontent grew within Israel regarding the management of the war, the Religious Zionism Party, led by Smotrich, considered the possibility of destabilizing the Netanyahu government due to dissatisfaction with strategic decisions. This action was prompted by a sense that the cabinet was retreating from a commitment to decisively defeat Hamas following the government’s approval of a limited military operation. The implications of these unfolding events suggest a potential shift in Israeli domestic politics, alongside an intensified determination to confront Hamas militarily.