During the a meeting of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet, an unusual confrontation erupted between Settlement Minister Orit Strock and MK Aryeh Deri, stemming from differing views on a possible deal with Hamas for the hostages' release.
According to a Kan News report by Michael Shemesh, Deri stated that if Hamas offers a deal, Israel must stop and examine it: "The hostages are civilians, and we must save their lives."
Strock angrily responded: "When you gave the hill in front of my house to Yasser Arafat [as part of the Oslo Accords], are those lives we can afford to give up?" Later, Deri retracted his statement.
Several other confrontations took place during the meeting. MK Deri claimed that "it is immoral not to release hostages," while Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized this position, saying: "Is it moral for a hundred soldiers to be killed, and then for us to retreat for ten hostages?"
Smotrich also criticized the military: "If it takes three months and three brigades because of the explosives - you are criminals. This is the result of previous deals."
Smotrich voted against the proposed plan, but Prime Minister Netanyahu assured him that Hamas would eventually be defeated, citing remarks from Minister Avi Dichter, who stated that the destruction of a Gazan City would help topple Hamas’ rule. Likud ministers gave Netanyahu the necessary majority, and the plan moved forward.
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