Israeli ministers still eye restoration of Gaza settlements

Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli war cabinet minister, has revealed that some members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition view the restoration of illegal Israeli settlements in Gaza as a key objective of the ongoing war.

Responding to remarks by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who claimed ministers had “thwarted hostage deals in the past,” Eisenkot told Israeli Army Radio: “Ben Gvir is telling the truth, and that is why we left the government with a heavy heart, understanding there was no intention to advance the deal. There are ministers for whom the goal of the war is the restoration of Jewish settlement in Gaza.”

Ben Gvir, a far-right figure in Netanyahu’s coalition, has threatened to resign if the government agrees to a ceasefire deal being brokered in Qatar, which includes the release of captives.

While his departure would not topple Netanyahu’s government, Ben Gvir has called on far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to join him in opposing the deal, describing it as a “dangerous capitulation to Hamas”.