Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said he will oppose any agreements to end the fighting

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.

(RT.com)