On Monday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to establish a new settlement in exchange for every new recognition of the Palestinian state.

During a press conference reported by the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, Smotrich said: “For every country that unilaterally recognizes the Palestinian state, we will establish a new settlement, and thus bring to the fore the imaginary idea of establishing a Palestinian state, which will endanger the existence of the State of Israel.”

Smotrich added: "The declaration to legalize five settlement outposts is a response to the unilateral step taken by the countries that recently recognized the Palestinian state."

During the past weeks, Ireland, Spain, Norway, Slovenia and Armenia recognized the State of Palestine, allowing the establishment of full diplomatic relations with it.

Accordingly, the Israeli Cabinet decided last week to “legalize 5 settlement outposts in the West Bank and turn them into settlements.”

Regarding the situation in Gaza, Smotrich called for the formation of a military government in the Strip after reports that the army would soon announce the end of the phase of violent fighting in the Gaza Strip and move to the third phase of the war.

He considered that "the military government in Gaza is what will allow the Israeli army to occupy and control the region and prevent the return of Hamas and restore its strength."

He claimed: "The army has achieved great achievements in striking Hamas and the enemy infrastructure, but we still have a lot of work to do. We will not stop the war until we achieve all the war goals of destroying Hamas and returning all the hostages."

Speaking about the humanitarian aid arriving in the Gaza Strip, Smotrich demanded that “Tel Aviv bear responsibility for its distribution in order to ensure that it does not reach Hamas.”

More than once, UN institutions said that Israel imposes restrictions on the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, making providing a humanitarian response “impossible.”

The Israeli minister also considered the release of the director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, Muhammad Abu Salamiya, “a major scandal and failure.”

On Monday morning, Israel released Abu Salamiya after his arrest on November 23, as part of 54 prisoners it released due to overcrowding in its prisons, according to the Hebrew newspaper Maariv.