Israel's Finance Minister: "Let them starve, Die or surrender."
By derimot*no - Brett Wilkins - August 31, 2025
Smotrich proposes annexing Gaza and implementing Trump's plan for ethnic cleansing. Israel's far-right finance minister made the statement after previously saying: "Those who don't evacuate - don't give them anything. No water, no electricity. Let them starve or surrender."
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich proposed on Thursday a gradual annexation of Gaza in the coming months if Hamas continues its fighting, in addition to implementing former President Donald Trump's plan for ethnic cleansing of the enclave.
Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionism party, presented his plan to âwin in Gaza by the end of the yearâ during a press conference in Jerusalem.
Israel âmust have full control over the entire Gaza Strip â forever,â he said.
He elaborated that Hamas will be given an ultimatum with two choices: either surrender, lay down its arms, and return all hostages taken during the attack on October 7, 2023 â or face âgradual annexation of Gaza territory, while enemy territory shrinks, and Trumpâs plan for the voluntary exodus of the population of Gaza is implemented.â
The term voluntary emigration is often used as a cover for ethnic cleansing, as most Palestinians do not want to leave their homeland voluntarily. The majority of Gaza's population are descendants of Palestinians who were displaced during the Nakba â the ethnic cleansing of over 750,000 Palestinians in connection with the creation of Israel in 1948. Some of Gaza's current residents are themselves survivors of that era.
Smotrich also advocated further tightening the blockade of Gaza â a blockade that has already led to the starvation of hundreds of thousands â in order, as he put it, âto starve and thirst Hamas fighters to death.â
These statements came in the wake of his comments from last week, when he said:
"Those who don't evacuate â don't give them anything. No water, no electricity. They can starve to death or surrender. That's what we want."
Earlier this year, Smotrich stated:
"We conquer, cleanse and remain until Hamas is wiped out. Along the way, we destroy everything that remains there."
Last month, an annexation conference was held in the Israeli National Assembly (Knesset), where Smotrich declared:
"We will occupy Gaza and make it an inseparable part of Israel."
Smotrich's plan is being promoted as the Israeli military carries out Operation Gideon's Tanks 2 - a military operation aimed at capturing Gaza and expelling around one million Palestinians. Earlier this year, Donald Trump said he wants to turn Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East."
Several critics, including Israeli human rights lawyer Itay Epshtain, say Smotrich's statements are likely to be picked up by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) â which is currently considering a genocide case against Israel â as well as the International Criminal Court (ICC), which last year issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder and forced starvation.
According to reports, the ICC has also prepared arrest warrants for Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for apartheid crimes, related to their Trump-backed plans to expand illegal settlements in the West Bank and annex the occupied territory.
Last year, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion stating that Israel's occupation of Palestine constitutes an illegal form of apartheid and that it must end as soon as possible.
Over the past 693 days, Israeli forces have killed at least 63,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Most of those killed are women and children. Experts say the real number is likely much higher. More than 158,600 Palestinians have been wounded, and thousands are still missing â presumed dead and buried under the rubble. A famine, which many believe is planned and carried out by Israel, has already claimed hundreds of lives and threatens hundreds of thousands more.
Brett Wilkins is a journalist for Common Dreams, based in San Francisco. He covers topics such as social justice, human rights, and war and peace. This article was first published by Common Dreams and is reprinted with permission.
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