Ben Gvir Calls for “Military Crushing,” Rejects Gaza Negotiations

By Kamaran Aziz

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) — Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately withdraw a delegation involved in ceasefire negotiations with Hamas in Doha, denouncing the talks as a "reckless deal" and advocating for a drastic shift in Israel's military and political strategy in Gaza.

In a statement posted to his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Ben Gvir declared: “I call on the Prime Minister to immediately recall the delegation that went to negotiate with the Hamas murderers in Doha. With those who kill our fighters, there is no need to negotiate - they must be crushed to dust, starved to death, and not given air through humanitarian aid that provides them oxygen.”

אני קורא לראש הממשלה להחזיר באופן מיידי את המשלחת שיצאה לשאת ולתת עם מרצחי החמאס בדוחא. עם מי שרוצח את לוחמינו לא צריך לשאת ולתת - צריך לכתוש אותו עד דק, להרעיב אותו למוות ולא להנשים בסיוע הומניטרי שנותן לו חמצן. מצור מוחלט, כתישה צבאית, עידוד הגירה והתיישבות - אלו המפתחות…

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) July 8, 2025

The remarks came on the third day of indirect negotiations between Israeli and Hamas representatives in the Qatari capital. While details of the discussions remain limited, a Palestinian official familiar with the matter told AFP that talks are centering on the “mechanisms for implementation, particularly the clauses related to withdrawal and humanitarian aid.”

Ben Gvir, who resides in a settlement in the occupied West Bank, outlined his alternative vision for what he described as “absolute victory,” urging a radical escalation in Israeli policy toward Gaza.

“A complete siege, military crushing, encouragement of migration, and settlement – these are the keys to absolute victory, not a reckless deal that would release thousands of terrorists and withdraw the IDF from territories captured with the blood of our fighters,” he stated.

His comments appear to contradict the ongoing efforts by Israeli officials and international mediators to broker a truce. Netanyahu, who traveled to Washington this week for his third visit since President Donald Trump’s return to office, has reportedly been under pressure from the U.S. administration to reach a deal. On Monday, President Trump expressed optimism, stating that he believed a ceasefire agreement was within reach.

Despite the diplomatic overtures, Netanyahu has maintained a hard line on Palestinian sovereignty, ruling out the establishment of a full Palestinian state and insisting that Israel would “always” retain security control over the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, now entering its 22nd month, was launched in response to the unprecedented Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. According to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures, that attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians. Hamas also abducted 251 individuals during the assault; 49 remain hostages in Gaza, 27 of whom have been declared dead by the Israeli army.

Since then, Israeli forces have gradually seized large swaths of Gaza, with the United Nations reporting that 82 percent of the territory is now under Israeli military control or subject to displacement orders. The death toll in Gaza has surged, with at least 57,523 people killed, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The figures have been deemed credible by the UN.

Ben Gvir’s inflammatory rhetoric is likely to intensify domestic political divisions in Israel and further complicate international mediation efforts, as humanitarian agencies continue to call for a sustained ceasefire and access to aid for the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.