'Give The Order Now!'
Ben Gvir and Smotrich Deliver Ultimatum After Hamas's 'Trick' with Hostage Remains
Israeli far-right ministers Ben Gvir and Smotrich call for immediate military action against Hamas following alleged violations of hostage exchange terms during ceasefire.
Senior figures in Israel's far-right political bloc are escalating calls for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately abandon the current ceasefire protocol and move to completely dismantle Hamas, following alleged violations by the terror group involving the remains of deceased hostages.
The renewed pressure comes after reports surfaced that Hamas handed over the body of a soldier who had already been returned, rather than the remains of an additional captive, signaling a deliberate act of psychological manipulation.
Ben Gvir: "Enough Hesitation. Give the Order!"
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led the charge, arguing that Hamas's actions prove the terror organization is still operationally viable and requires total destruction.
“The fact that Hamas continues to play games and does not immediately transfer all the bodies of our fallen, is in itself evidence that the terror organization is still standing,” Ben Gvir declared.
He called for an immediate shift from punitive measures to a full-scale offensive:
“Now we don’t need to ‘extract a price from Hamas’ for the violations. We need to exact from it its very existence, and destroy it completely, once and for all, in accordance with the central goal defined for the War of Revival.” He concluded with a direct challenge to the Prime Minister: “Mr. Prime Minister, enough hesitation. Give the order!”
Smotrich Demands Urgent Security Cabinet Meeting
In a separate, formal move, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich submitted a letter to Netanyahu requesting an urgent meeting of the security cabinet to address the situation.
Smotrich explicitly demanded the formulation of "forceful responses" to Hamas’s repeated breaches of the ceasefire terms.
“Against the backdrop of Hamas’s repeated violations of the ceasefire terms and the first stage of President Trump’s plan, and against the backdrop of the lack of progress in its dismantling and demilitarization of Gaza, I request that you urgently convene the security cabinet today for a discussion in order to formulate a package of forceful and determined responses, and to ensure our adherence to the central objective of the war: the destruction of Hamas and the removal of the threat emanating from Gaza toward the citizens of Israel,” Smotrich wrote.
He condemned the alleged manipulation as an act of cruelty:
“Hamas cannot be allowed to taunt the citizens of Israel and cruelly play with the feelings of the families of the fallen hostages."
The demands from these influential coalition partners put significant pressure on Netanyahu to reassess the diplomatic path forwarded by the U.S. and potentially authorize a return to large-scale military operations aimed at achieving the war's initial objective: the eradication of Hamas.