‘Arm yourself’: Israeli right decries Gaza deal as Smotrich says war not over

Israeli settler leaders urge Netanyahu to attack Gaza again as soon as the captives are freed

By Nadav Rapaport in Tel Aviv, Israel

Published date: 9 October 2025

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/arm-yourself-israeli-right-decries-gaza-deal-smotrich-says-war-not-over

Though the Gaza ceasefire deal has prompted celebrations in Israel in anticipation that the remaining captives will soon be released, discontent is rumbling among the powerful Israeli right wing, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich insisting the war is not over.

The Israeli religious right, most prominently represented by Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have for two years pushed for a total takeover of the Gaza Strip, including illegal Jewish settlement there, and fought against previous ceasefire deals.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet will vote on the first phase of the ceasefire plan - where 48 captives will be released in exchange for 2,000 Palestinian detainees and Israeli troops will partially withdraw - later on Thursday.

So far, Ben Gvir has yet to comment on the deal. Smotrich, meanwhile, posted a statement on X saying he will not vote for the agreement but nonetheless taking credit for it seeing all living captives - estimated to be 20 - being released at once and immediately.

He said there was a “tremendous responsibility to ensure that this is not, God forbid, a deal of ‘hostages in exchange for stopping the war,’ as Hamas thinks”.

“The State of Israel will continue to strive with all its might for the true eradication of Hamas and the genuine disarmament of Gaza, so that it no longer poses a threat to Israel,” he added.

The reaction among the two ministers’ supporters has been even more forceful.

Far-right WhatsApp and Telegram groups, where religious Zionist activists mobilise, lamented that Palestinian prisoners would be freed as part of the deal.

"A lot of joy mixed with a lot of sadness, the hostages are returning, but what about all the terrorists who will be released?" the admin of one group posted.

“We will not allow terrorists with blood on their hands to roam freely under our noses," he said, adding that activists will block the vehicles transporting Palestinians out of Israeli prisons.

'A resounding failure'

Settlement Minister Orit Strook, who belongs to Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party, called the ceasefire deal “Oslo 3”, associating it with the Oslo Accords of the 1990s, which right-wing Israelis see as a capitulation to the Palestinians.

Strook told Israeli news site Ynet that the agreement symbolises "giving up parts of the Land of Israel, because Gaza is part of the Land of Israel, and I am disappointed that Netanyahu did not explain it to Trump".

According to Strook, the cabinet set clear parameters for any ceasefire deal, which are “completely contrary” to parts of this agreement. "This completely turns back on the goals of the war," she added.

Limor Son Har Melech, an MP from Ben Gvir’s Jewish Power party, wrote an article for Channel 7 criticising the plan to free Palestinian prisoners – many of whom are women and children from Gaza detained without charge.

"A deal in which even a single Hamas supporter remains alive is a resounding failure," Son Hr Melech wrote.

Powerful far-right influencers are also lashing out at the plan.

Ayelet Lash, a prominent settler leader, wrote on X that she hopes that Netanyahu will order the army to begin attacking Gaza again immediately after the captives are released.

"But if Netanyahu signs this humiliating, dangerous, and crazy surrender deal and intends to stick to it, rebuild Gaza and give the Nazis there a complete victory, he must go home," she said.

Similar criticism was voiced by Elisha Yered, one of the most prominent members of the Hilltop Youth, the paramilitary settler group that systematically attack Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Yered said Hamas has succeeded in releasing prisoners, cancelling Israel's achievements in the Gaza Strip and bringing "the State of Israel to its knees after two years of castrated and handcuffed fighting".

"The bottom line is that Hamas is portrayed as a winner in the eyes of our enemies around the world," he said.

Cartoonist Or Reichert, meanwhile, has suggested the Israeli left wing, which has prioritised a deal to free the captives over continuing the war, is responsible for the agreement.

He posted a cartoon showing the yellow ribbon, which for two years has been a symbol for the captives taken on 7 October 2023, portrayed as a noose.

"Every retarded Arab will try to kidnap a Jew, because there is really no price. The only price is expulsion, occupation and settlement. Pray that we come to our senses. Arm yourself," Reichert wrote.