Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that the hostages are home thanks to him, claiming a critical role in how the war played out in an interview for Nadav Perry’s podcast on Sunday.
“I think that without me, the war in Gaza would have ended even before Rafah,” he said live on the “All In” podcast that Perry conducts.
Smotrich referenced a deal that emerged after the January 2025 negotiations, under which only eight hostages would be returned. He said he put his foot down with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said the deal would not happen.
“Had I not drawn a red line at that moment and told Netanyahu, ‘there is no such thing,’ we would still be negotiating with Hamas over one more hostage and then another,” he said.
Smotrich claims role in hostage return despite historical opposition to deals
This comes after Smotrich historically opposed prioritizing hostage negotiations, saying in February 2024 that it was not the most important thing to consider in the war.
“Why is that important now?” he said. “Hamas must be destroyed. It is very important, but you also understand that statements such as ‘at any cost’ are a problem.”
He held this line through October 2025, when government officials approved the deal to return the remaining hostages in Gaza. Smotrich opposed the plan, joined by ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir, Orit Strock, Yitzhak Wasserlauf, and Amichai Eliyahu.
