Smotrich: It May Be ‘Moral and Justified’ for Israel To Starve 2 Million Palestinians to Death in Gaza

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday that it might be “moral and justified” for Israel to starve to death two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip but said it couldn’t due to international pressure.

“We are bringing in aid because there is no choice,” Smotrich said at a conference hosted by Israel Hayom, according to The Times of Israel. “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.”

Smotrich continued, “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.”

Smotrich is often portrayed as a fringe extremist in Israeli politics, but he has significant power as the finance minister and also holds a position in the Defense Ministry that puts him in charge of West Bank settlements. His threats to quit the government if a hostage deal is reached with Hamas is one reason why the onslaught in Gaza has continued.

Genocidal rhetoric from Israeli officials has been used as evidence in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). When Israel first imposed a full siege on Gaza following October 7, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the Israeli military was fighting “human animals.”

While Israel has allowed some aid to enter Gaza, it has only been a trickle, and the majority of Palestinians are facing severe food shortages. Diseases are also rapidly spreading as the civilian infrastructure has been shattered by the Israeli bombardment.