Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich suggested that blocking humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip would be “justified and moral” – even if it resulted in the deaths of two million Palestinian civilians from starvation.
Speaking at a conference in Yad Binyamin hosted by the right-wing Israel Hayom outlet, Smotrich lamented that the international community would not allow Israel to deliberately starve 2 million Palestinians in Gaza as a tactic to secure the release of Israeli hostages.
However, Smotrich stated that he personally believes such an extreme measure would be morally justified.
He said (via <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/smotrich-it-may-be-justified-to-starve-2-million-gazans-but-world-wont-let-us/?g=h">The Times of Israel</a>):
<blockquote>
We bring in aid because there is no choice. We can’t, in the current global reality, manage a war. Nobody will let us cause 2 million civilians to die of hunger, even though it might be justified and moral until our hostages are returned.
Humanitarianism in exchange for humanitarianism is morally justified — but what can we do? We live today in a certain reality, we need international legitimacy for this war.
</blockquote>
Smotrich said that blocking humanitarian aid from Gaza was more likely to get all the hostages being held by Hamas released, as opposed to the current hostage-for-ceasefire deal that is being negotiated and only ensures the release of some. He said:
<blockquote>
Everyone wants to bring the hostages back, but the deal only gets a minority of hostages and condemns the majority. Therefore it’s not right and not moral and it endangers the nation.
</blockquote>
He also said he was against releasing “terrorists” from Israeli prisons in exchange for hostages.
Smotrich said that while he supports Israel resettling Gaza, he hasn’t demanded that this be defined as one of the war’s goals.
He argued, though, that if Israel hadn’t pulled out of Gaza in 2005, the October 7 massacre would never have happened.
It is believed that 111 of the 251 Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 2023 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of 39 confirmed dead by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that.
Seven hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 24 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
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The Israeli Finance Minister said it might be okay to stop giving food to 2 million people in Gaza, even if they starve. He thinks this extreme measure could be justified to get Israeli hostages back. He believes stopping aid would push Hamas to release all hostages, not just some. He doesn't support releasing prisoners in exchange for hostages. He argues that if Israel had not left Gaza in 2005, a deadly massacre would not have happened. Some hostages have been released, but many are still missing. The Minister thinks cutting aid is a way to push for more hostages to be released.

Israeli Finance Ministers Says It May Be "Justified" To Starve 2 Million Gazans

Israel has authorised plans for a military offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, despite growing international pressure and warnings from humanitarian groups and world leaders.
Rafah is currently home to 1.4 million people who are caught in the war between Israel and Hamas. Many of the people sought refuge in the city during Israel’s previous ground invasion.
The prospect of an incursion on Rafah has raised concerns among Israel’s allies, including the U.S. and Europe.
President Joe Biden has reaffirmed his opposition to military action in Rafah without a credible plan to protect civilians.
The Israeli military’s proposed approach involves moving civilians to designated “humanitarian islands” elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with civilians facing immense hardships due to the ongoing conflict.
The primary delivery route for aid is over land. More than 15,000 trucks of aid have entered Gaza since October 7, 2023, through two entry points: Rafah (on Gaza’s border with Egypt) and Kerem Shalom (an Israeli crossing).
Several countries, including the US, Jordan, Egypt, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium, have been airdropping aid into Gaza. These airdrops include food, medicine, and other essentials.
The US and Jordan conducted an aid drop on March 3, 2024, providing enough food for over 38 000 meals.
Recently, two initiatives aim to deliver aid to Gaza by sea. The Spanish ship Open Arms arrived off the Gaza coast from Cyprus, towing a barge carrying around 200 tonnes of food provided by the US charity World Central Kitchen (WCK).
An additional 500 tonnes of aid is ready in Cyprus. This shipment includes rice, flour, lentils, beans, canned tuna, beef, and chicken, enough for nearly half a million meals.
The food aid delivered by land, air, and sea has provided essential supplies, but the situation remains precarious as the food is not enough to meet the needs of Gazans.
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