Gaza war must continue – Israeli minister

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said that the war in Gaza must continue until “a decisive victory” is achieved, rejecting calls for a ceasefire or negotiated settlement.

FILE PHOTO: Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich © Getty Images / Amir Levy / Stringer

1 Jul, 2025 21:02 Russia Today Gaza war must continue – Israeli minister

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said that the war in Gaza must continue until “a decisive victory” is achieved, rejecting calls for a ceasefire or negotiated settlement.

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Smotrich said Israel was “in the midst of a campaign against a crushed terrorist organization” and warned that there would be “no greater danger” to the country’s future than halting the operation prematurely.

“This war must end in a decisive victory for many generations to come, without agreements, without mediators,” he said.

The remarks come amid growing internal divisions within the Israeli cabinet over the future of Operation Gideon’s Chariots. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to reconvene his security cabinet later this week, after several failed attempts to reach consensus on a path forward.

Mediators Egypt and Qatar have been pushing a new deal that would pause fighting for 60 days in exchange for the release of some Israeli hostages and expanded humanitarian access to Gaza. The earlier US-backed ceasefire framework, brokered in January, collapsed in March when Israel resumed military operations.

Last week, Israel’s military chief, Eyal Zamir, said that the current phase of the ground operation was close to achieving its goals. Israel has intensified its offensive in recent weeks following stalled talks over the fate of the remaining captives held by Hamas. Around 20 hostages are believed to still be alive.

The war was triggered by Hamas on October 7, 2023, with an attack that left some 1,200 Israelis dead and took about 250 hostage. Israel’s response has been a sustained bombardment of Gaza, with much of the enclave now in ruins.

According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, over 56,000 Palestinians – mostly civilians – have been killed since the war began. The UN says more than 400 were killed while seeking aid after the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operating in late May, following a three-month Israeli blockade.

On Monday, multiple Israeli media outlets reported that the IDF acknowledged civilian casualties near aid distribution points, while disputing the accuracy of the figures released by Hamas.

---

Related news

Israeli Finance Minister Admits Israel Will Ethnically Cleanse Gaza.

Now Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has admitted exactly what the purpose of this plan is.

The Israeli newspaper Times of Israel reported that Smotrich told a group of West Bank settlers last Thursday that “Gaza will be totally destroyed” and “The population of Gaza will be concentrated from the Morag Corridor southwards,” saying “the rest of the Strip will be empty.”

He went on to say “The Gazan citizens will be concentrated in the south. They will be totally despairing, understanding that there is no hope and nothing to look for in Gaza, and will be looking for relocation to begin a new life in other places.”

He also stated that the Netanyahu regime will annex the West Bank next. The paper reported, “Asked about steps to annex the West Bank, the finance minister says, “It will happen this term. It is one of our most important challenges. We are at a historic opportunity.”

Read more>

Meet the Israeli fanatic running Ted Cruz’s office

Wyatt Reed·June 23, 2025

After Ted Cruz’s humiliation by Tucker Carlson, attention has focused on a top staffer of the self-proclaimed “leading defender of Israel in the United States Senate.”

On June 18, former Fox host Tucker Carlson published a video which, though marketed as an interview, was more of a snuff film. Over the course of two hours, Carlson can be seen rhetorically disemboweling his debate opponent, US Senator Ted Cruz, on the politician’s determination to see the US attack Iran on Israel’s behalf.

While Cruz presents himself as a Christian Zionist moved by his own zealotry to support Israel, the politician’s Tel Aviv-driven policy line can also be traced back to his Senior Advisor for Policy and Communications, an Israeli-born Zionist lobbyist named Omri Ceren.

Before overseeing Cruz’s public relations, Ceren managed his foreign policy docket as his national security advisor. Prior to joining the Senator’s staff, Ceren served as the press director for The Israel Project, a Zionist pressure group which was forced to close down after being exposed as a de facto Israeli government front by Al Jazeera’s groundbreaking undercover investigation, The Lobby. Before that, Ceren cut his teeth lobbying for Ivory Coast dictator Laurent Gbagbo, who relied on Ceren as a registered foreign agent lending his marketing expertise to the embattled regime.

In discussing Tucker Carlson’s demolition of Ted Cruz, I pointed out that Cruz’s foreign policy handler is Omri Ceren, a longtime Israel lobbyist and Israeli citizen aligned with Netanyahu

Ceren’s sister, Merav, is an ex-Israeli Defense Min staffer who served in Mike Waltz’s NSC pic.twitter.com/BqAnYxXlw0

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) June 20, 2025

Ceren has consistently opposed a nuclear deal with Iran since at least 2015, when he declared that any agreement would simply ensure Tehran was “able to cheat with impunity.” At a talk hosted by the neocon Hudson Institute think tank in 2018, he suggested Washington should continue preaching about “freedom” and encouraging Iranian protesters to pursue regime change while simultaneously maintaining Trump’s ban on Iranians entering the US.

Omri Ceren, right wing Israel lobbyist from The Israel Project, says the US should preach “freedom” to Iranians while maintaining Trump’s ban on Iranians seeking entry to the US. So much solidarity here. pic.twitter.com/8wYl29dJIn

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) January 16, 2018

Omri’s sister, Merav Ceren, previously worked under the supervision of the Israeli Defense Ministry, as well as another Israeli government cutout in Washington, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. The pair were born in Haifa, Israel, with Merav embarking on her career of Israel lobbying as a college student.

Upon Merav Ceren’s appointment to head the Israel and Iran desks of Trump’s National Security Council in April 2025, one Israeli publication declared her “One of Our Own.” The authors went on to boast that Ceren’s “presence… in the discussion rooms gives significant space to voice Israeli interests.” Just a month later, however, she was fired as tensions between the Republican Party’s America First and Israel First wings came to a head.

While his sister looked for a new gig, Omri Ceren continued to represent his home country as the national security advisor to a senator who has pantomimed “America First” conservatism while zealously advancing Israel’s objectives. Cruz’s messaging since the US bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 21 clearly bears his Israeli advisor’s imprimatur.

Since the attack, Cruz has posted 14 comments on Twitter/X. 12 of them consisted of breathless statements cheering the bombing or attacks on opponents of the war, whom he branded as “the death to America crowd.” The remaining two posts expressed affection for the senator’s hometown NBA team, the Houston Rockets.

---

As Israel continues to pound Gaza into dust,

MintPress compiles some of the most genocidal statements made by senior Israeli officials, proving that their intent is to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its population.

The United States has handed Israel, one of the richest countries in the world, an average of $3.5 billion a year in "Aid" for the past 70 years The Palestinians, meanwhile, have received less than $1.7 billion a year from across the entirety of all international donors.

source: (5) Chay Bowes on X: "The United States has handed Israel, one of the richest countries in the world, an average of $3.5 billion a year in "Aid" for the past 70 years The Palestinians, meanwhile, have received less than $1.7 billion a year from across the entirety of all international donors. https://t.co/KV7GOKpJve" / X (twitter.com)

Netanyahu's son hides in Florida during Gaza war Yair Netanyahu, aged 32 and the son of Benjamin Netanyahu, hides discreetly within a luxurious Florida high-rise, where the monthly rent amounts to $5,000. Yair is protected by Israeli Shin Bet bodyguards stationed at his apartment.

Source: (5) MintPress News on X: "Netanyahu's son hides in Florida during Gaza war Yair Netanyahu, aged 32 and the son of Benjamin Netanyahu, hides discreetly within a luxurious Florida high-rise, where the monthly rent amounts to $5,000. Yair is protected by Israeli Shin Bet bodyguards stationed at his… https://t.co/eS4fb1iFJo" / X (twitter.com)

Elon Musk, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Yair Netanyahu were reported to have met on February 4, 2025, in an elegant setting

Elon Musk, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Yair Netanyahu were reported to have met on February 4, 2025, in an elegant setting, as evidenced by multiple social media posts and images. The meeting has sparked various interpretations, from viewing it as a diplomatic engagement to discussions potentially involving AI and antisemitism, though exact details remain unconfirmed.

Source:

Elon Musk Meets Netanyahu and Son: Diplomatic or Tech Talk? / X

https://x.com/i/trending/1886930074282176869

Source: MintPress News on X: "Criminal accusations are being filed against Israeli President Isaac Herzog while he is in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum. https://t.co/hbatjoMVwO" / X (twitter.com)

The flyers make the following threat;

"You have one last chance to escape to Jordan in an orderly manner, after which we will kill every enemy and forcibly expel you from our holy land Take your belongings with you immediately, and leave because we are about to arrive”

Source: (2) Sulaiman Ahmed on X: "BREAKING: ISRAELI SETTLERS THREATEN PALESTINIANS IN THE WEST BANK TO LEAVE OR THEY WILL KILL THEM The flyers make the following threat; "You have one last chance to escape to Jordan in an orderly manner, after which we will kill every enemy and forcibly expel you from our holy… https://t.co/rZgfWTPEub" / X (twitter.com)