Israeli Finance Minister Calls for Full Military Rule and Settlements in Gaza

TEL AVIV, August 18. /TASS/. Israel must fully take over the Gaza Strip, establish its military rule there and begin setting up Jewish communities in the Palestinian enclave, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said during his speech in the city of Sderot, located just a few kilometers from the border with Gaza.

"Israel has to take responsibility for Gaza, fully seize the strip, establish military rule and set up Jewish settlements there," The Jerusalem Post quoted the minister as saying.

Moreover, Smotrich criticized US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, which provides for the establishment of international forces to ensure security in the enclave, the newspaper noted. The minister also said that Israel’s security will not be guaranteed without its settlements in the strip. At the same time, he urged the Israeli government to promote voluntary migration of Palestinians from Gaza.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister and Representative of the Board of Peace Tony Blair and High Representative of the Board of Peace for the Gaza Strip Nikolay Mladenov in Jerusalem. An Israeli source told TASS that the meeting lasted about four hours. After the talks, the prime minister’s office said that Netanyahu agreed to establish two working groups for the Gaza Strip, while demilitarization of Gaza and disarmament of Hamas should be completed before any reconstruction in the enclave.

On August 9, Netanyahu said at the beginning of the Israeli government’s weekly meeting that the country rejects the Board’s 15-point plan for the Gaza Strip and will not withdraw its troops from the Palestinian enclave until Hamas is truly disarmed.

In October 2025, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip with the mediation of Egypt, Qatar, the United States and Turkey. The initiative consisted of three stages: the first one included a halt to hostilities, the release of those detained, and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces. The subsequent phases envisioned an end to the conflict and rebuilding the enclave. However, the parties have failed to move on to the second phase of the deal.