The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed, on Tuesday, that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich refused to hold a meeting with his Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss the economic situation in light of the high cost of living.

According to the Hebrew newspaper, Smotrich stipulated that Netanyahu enter Rafah and carry out a large military operation there, and upon its completion, he could hold a meeting between them to discuss economic issues.

Netanyahu tried to pressure Smotrich to address hot issues such as rising fuel prices and increasing mortgages due to rising interest rates, among others. Those close to the Israeli Prime Minister sought to hold the meeting, but Smotrich postponed it in protest against Netanyahu’s refusal to take concrete action regarding the storming of Rafah.

In one of the government meetings, Smotrich said: First we have to enter Rafah and then pay attention to fuel prices.

Officials close to Netanyahu accused Smotrich of neglecting to deal with the issues that are at the top of the Finance Ministry’s agenda, and that he should not have neglected them.

While Smotrich's office said, he is busy 24 hours a day managing the economy and fighting the costs of living, and he works excellently and regularly on all issues with his prime minister, and in recent days, due to the critical stage that the war has reached and the need for victory, the conversation has been more concerned with the topic of war.