According to a report by Times of Israel, Israel finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich has urged the Israeli government to increase military pressure on Gaza, asserting that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar may be on the verge of accepting a ceasefire and hostage deal proposal out of desperation.

“We see more and more indications that Hamas is breaking, and there are more and more elements who feel that [Hamas] is a moment away from the end,” Smotrich said. He expressed the belief that Sinwar, facing defeat, might suddenly decide to “respond positively to the proposal he received for a deal” in order to “save himself and Hamas’s rule in Gaza.”

Smotrich warned that this is “precisely not the time to stop” the military campaign. “This is not the time to take our foot off the gas. On the contrary. This is the moment to send in more forces [to Gaza] and turn up the military pressure,” he urged.

The finance minister’s remarks come as the Israeli government faces internal divisions over a potential ceasefire agreement. Smotrich had previously threatened to bring down the coalition if the government accepted the latest hostage-ceasefire proposal, which Hamas has so far rejected.

However, Smotrich now believes that Sinwar, “panicking” because he “understands that we are close to victory,” may be willing to accept a deal “to save himself and Hamas’s rule in Gaza, so that he can return and rebuild its power, and again become part of Iran’s conventional [military] plan for the destruction [of Israel] in the next round.”

The intensified military pressure advocated by Smotrich aims to capitalize on the perceived vulnerability of Hamas and force Sinwar’s hand, potentially leading to a more favorable outcome for Israel in any future negotiations or ceasefire agreements……Seē Morē