Israel’s former defence minister stands by ‘ethnic cleansing’ comments
Former Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon has again criticised Israeli policies for northern Gaza, saying he stands by his comment in which he accused Israel of committing “ethnic cleansing” in the region.
“I speak on behalf of the commanders serving in northern Gaza, where war crimes are being committed,” Ya’alon told Israeli media. “Israeli soldiers are putting their lives at risk and will face lawsuits in the Criminal Court.”
He also criticised Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, saying he “is proud of the opportunity to reduce the population of Gaza by half and has no moral issue with causing the death of two million Gazans”.
Smotrich had stated earlier in the week that half of Gaza’s residents could be “encouraged” to leave the Strip within two years.
Israeli army acts according to the highest standards: Gallant
Yoav Gallant, Israel’s former defence minister who recently left office, has slammed Moshe Ya’alon for claiming that Israel’s leadership is taking the path of “ethnic cleansing” in the Gaza Strip.
Ya’alon, who is also a former defence minister, was quoted as saying by the Israeli media that “the path we [Israel] are being dragged down is one of occupation, annexation and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip”.
According to Gallant, Ya’alon’s words are “a lie that helps our enemy and hurts Israel”. Gallant said on X that he saw the Israeli soldiers and commanders “up close as I led the difficult war against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran”.
“[The army] acted according to the highest standards that can be applied in the complex and difficult war that was imposed on us,” he said. “The instructions and orders were always given in accordance with the law,” Gallant added.
Sure, that's why you have an arrest warrant by the ICC...
‘Settlement in Gaza should be encouraged’: Ben-Gvir
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir tells Israel’s Army Radio that “settlement in Gaza should be encouraged”. “The only times we defeated our enemies were when we took land from them,” he said.
Earlier this week, Ben-Gvir advocated for Israel to “reclaim the Gaza Strip and promote voluntary migration” as a path to achieving peace in the south.
His remarks follow a visit by Housing and Construction Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf to Gaza, during which Goldknopf asserted that Jewish settlement in the area “is the answer” to the October 7 attack and the recent ICC arrest warrants.
Israel’s Gantz estimates that 30 captives dead in Gaza after deal forgone
Former war cabinet Minister Benny Gantz says the lives of about 30 captives who have been reportedly killed in Gaza could have been saved if a ceasefire agreement had not been dismissed for “political reasons”, local newspaper The Times of Israel reported.
Gantz, who was speaking at an Israel Hayom conference, argued that if the government was able to agree to a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon, it should have also made a deal with Hamas, which is “the most dismantled” of Israel’s enemies.
“The return of the hostages is at the core of the values of the State of Israel,” he said, adding, “It is the most important thing.”
