Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday that the death of two million Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip from hunger might be "justified and moral."
"We can't, in the current global reality, manage a war. Nobody will let us cause 2 million civilians to die of hunger even though it might be justified and moral until our hostages are returned," Smotrich told a conference hosted by Israel Hayom daily.
"Humanitarian in exchange for humanitarian is morally justified, but what can we do? We live today in a certain reality, we need international legitimacy for this war."
Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, leaving the territory's entire population on the verge of famine.
"We are bringing in aid because there is no choice," Smotrich said, calling for Israel to have full control over what enters the Palestinian enclave.
The far-right minister reiterated his opposition to any prisoner swap deal with Hamas, claiming that current cease-fire proposals are "unjust and unethical" as they would only return a few hostages and jeopardize state security.
He also expressed his opposition to releasing Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages, asserting that they would "return to kill Jews."
Moreover, Smotrich reiterated his controversial stance on the resettlement of the Gaza Strip, claiming that, "Where there is no settlement, there is terror."
The UN deems Israeli settlement building in occupied Palestinian territories as illegal and a significant obstacle to the two-state solution.
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an attack last October by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
More than 39,600 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,600 injured, according to local health authorities.
Almost 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
