Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened on Monday to cut off water and electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip, stressing the need to "open the gates of hell" through a large-scale military attack that would lead to "occupying the Strip."

In contrast, former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for bombing humanitarian aid warehouses in Gaza, stressing that Israel "must starve Hamas fighters and their supporters" of civilians before resuming the war of extermination on the Strip.

"Open the gates of hell"

Smotrich said during a meeting of his parliamentary bloc, "On Saturday evening, we decided to stop the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip unless Hamas releases our kidnappers, surrenders its weapons voluntarily, and leaves the Strip."

He added, "This is the first step in the right direction, which was taken thanks to the policy we are leading in the government and in the Security Cabinet. I can assure you that it is just the beginning."

He continued threateningly, "We are closing the gates of heaven and preparing to open the gates of hell. The next stage will be to cut off electricity and water and open the gates of hell on Gaza with a strong, deadly and rapid attack that will lead to the occupation of the region and the launch of Trump's plan to encourage the emigration of Gaza's residents."

Speaking about his upcoming visit to the United States tonight, Smotrich said that he will discuss with his American counterpart "strengthening economic relations between the two sides, and advancing joint cooperation that will raise the Israeli economy in the fields of high-tech, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and others."

He stressed that the administration of US President Donald Trump has made a major change, adding, "We have received international political support, the release of military ammunition, and now economic support and a desire to strengthen the Israeli economy, unlike the previous administration that imposed an arms embargo, punished the settlers, and transferred more than two billion dollars since October 7 to Gaza and the hands of Hamas."

Smotrich concluded his speech by stressing the importance of the new transformations, considering that "the new American administration has cancelled the provocative decision of the Joe Biden administration to boycott me and other Israeli officials, in an attempt to interfere in Israeli politics and democracy. Now we feel the change, and we have an opportunity to work with American support to achieve all the goals of the war."

"We must starve Hamas and their supporters before resuming the fighting"

For his part, Ben-Gvir said at the beginning of his parliamentary bloc meeting, "Yesterday, for the first time since the start of the shameful deal (referring to the prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas), the government took a positive step when it decided to stop the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza."

He added, criticizing the government's policy, saying, "I have been continuously calling for the cessation of aid entry since the government decided to resume it at the beginning of the war, and unfortunately I was the only one among all the ministers who called for this."

"The ministers presented flimsy arguments, such as that bringing in aid helps in the fighting, and some of them even went so far as to call for allowing the Israeli army to distribute aid to the residents of Gaza, at a time when our kidnapped people are being held in the tunnels, and are not receiving any of this aid," he added.

He considered the current decision insufficient, saying, "It is good that this decision was made now, because it is better late than never. However, at this stage, stopping the supply of goods to the Strip alone is not enough to strangle Hamas and force it to surrender and return all of our kidnapped people."

He stressed the need to escalate operations against Gaza, saying: "For that to happen, Gaza must be plunged into hell. Hell also means bombing all the aid warehouses controlled by Hamas, which have entered the Strip in huge quantities since the ceasefire began and even before it, and a complete halt to the supply of electricity and water."

Ben-Gvir called on the government to take these measures before the fighting resumes, saying: “I call on the prime minister to announce that Israel will begin these steps before the fighting resumes, which must inevitably begin. Because implementing these steps before returning to war will lead to mass starvation of Hamas fighters and their supporters in the Strip, which will enable us to return to fighting with tremendous force, when Hamas fighters are weak and exhausted, unable to resist effectively, and therefore we can easily crush them.”

He pointed out that there are risks in this approach, but stressed the need to move forward with it, saying: "I am aware of the risks involved in this solution, and that Hamas may threaten that if Israel adopts it, there will be a danger to the lives of the kidnapped."

"But here too, bold action is needed: The government must clearly declare to Hamas that any harm to any Israeli hostage will be met with the execution of Hamas prisoners in Israeli prisons, through special emergency regulations, in addition to imposing permanent Israeli sovereignty over large areas of the Strip," he continued.

Ben-Gvir concluded his remarks by stressing the necessity of taking these steps, considering that "these are not trivial measures for those who embrace progressive values, but for the only Jewish state in the Middle East, surrounded by enemies seeking to destroy it, they are necessary steps to ensure its continued survival."