Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich admitted Wednesday to advancing the transfer of billions of shekels from Israeli public coffers toward the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza, after having previously opposed the entry of any assistance to the Hamas-ruled enclave.
The move, first revealed by the Kan public broadcaster, would see NIS 3 billion (around $875 million) allocated to humanitarian aid for Gaza’s civilian population.
Speaking with the broadcaster, Smotrich insisted that the funding was “not money for humanitarian aid. It’s money for winning the war. Had we controlled the humanitarian aid to Gaza, we would have won the war a while ago.”
It was unclear exactly how and to whom the money would be dispersed, though Smotrich seemed suggest in a video statement he issued that it would be funneled toward the operations of the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which distributes aid in the enclave.
Smotrich, who heads the far-right Religious Zionism party, has in the past opposed the entry of aid to Gaza and threatened to bolt the coalition over the matter. On Wednesday, however, he defended the aid funding plans, arguing they were necessary for Israel’s “total victory” over Hamas.
He said the money would be set aside, if needed, to assist the American-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation “fund and set up aid distribution centers” so that “this horrific and dismal foolishness that we see now — in which the trucks are going straight to Hamas — will cease.”
“It will cost a lot less and is worth a lot more than an extra army division maneuvering [in Gaza]. This is what will bring us victory and the hostages [back],” he said, adding that Israel must “strangle Hamas financially” by preventing humanitarian aid from reaching the terror group.
Referring to a cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday, in which ministers are expected to vote on plans to conquer the Strip, Smotrich said he hoped that a “clear decision will finally be made to go all in on Gaza, occupy all of it and defeat Hamas militarily.”
He added that “without civil and financial strangulation,” there is “no chance to ever win.”
Blue and White-National Unity party chairman Benny Gantz hit out at Smotrich over the proposed Gaza aid budget. “Is this your solution? To take billions of shekels from the pockets of Israeli citizens to distribute aid to Gaza residents? From our children’s education, housing, and healthcare?” Gantz wrote on X.
MK Avigdor Liberman, the head of the right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party, accused Smotrich of sending the money straight to Hamas. “Funding terrorism is a betrayal of Israel’s citizens and our soldiers. We will put a stop to the reckless policy of the October 7th government,” he tweeted.
Smotrich’s statement came a day after US President Donald Trump enjoined Israel to help American efforts to distribute aid to Gazan civilians.
At a White House press conference Tuesday, Trump said his primary focus was on feeding Gazans, “who are obviously not doing too well with the food.” He claimed that “Israel is going to help us with that in terms of distribution and also money.”
Israel has reportedly already funneled millions of dollars to the controversial GHF, though it has yet to publicly confirm doing so, as such funding would likely be unpopular among parts of Netanyahu’s right-wing base that oppose allowing aid into Gaza, let alone paying for it.
Trump announced on July 28 — as international outcry over reports of mounting hunger in Gaza peaked — that the US would establish new “food centers” in the enclave that would be run by Israel.
Jacob Magid contributed to this report.