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By Amira El-Fekki
Middle East News Reporter
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Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, a hardline right-winger in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet, has called for intensified military action in Gaza following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
Newsweek has reached out to Hamas for comment.
Why It Matters
The comments are an indication of where Israel will turn its attention now the war with Iran appears to have been stopped after Israeli strikes on military and nuclear sites and Iranian retaliation against Israel with ballistic missiles and drones.
Read More on World
Iranian-backed Hamas, which set off the biggest upheavals in the Middle East for decades with its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, looks increasingly isolated as it battles for survival in the devastated Gaza Strip.
Israel's military campaign in Gaza was not halted by its strikes on Iran, but it did not yet achieve its goals of securing the release of remaining hostages taken by Hamas in the 2023 attack —prolonging a conflict that continues to shape both domestic politics, regional dynamics and bring international pressure.
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What To Know
Smotrich said that Israel has achieved a "crushing victory in the campaign against Iran," adding: "Now with all our strength to Gaza, to complete the task," he wrote on X.
His comments came in response to Iranian missile fire on a residential building killing at least five people, according to Israeli authorities, and shortly after President Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran had come into effect on Tuesday morning, urging both sides to abide by it.
Hamas has expressed solidarity with Iran against Israeli and U.S. strikes but has not commented on the ceasefire agreement.
Israel said it has pursued its ground offensive in Gaza, while violent clashes around aid centers have also taken place in which dozens of Palestinians have been killed according to local authorities. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said several soldiers were killed by Hamas in the past week.
The United Nations has warned of the escalating crisis in Gaza, saying civilians are dying daily while seeking basic necessities like food, water, and medical care. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll has surpassed 55,000 Palestinians since the war began on October 7, 2023.
Hamas killed some 1,200 Israelis on that day and took more than 251 hostages, according to Israel's authorities, with nearly 20 still believed to be alive.
What People Are Saying
Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich on X: "We removed an immediate existential threat to the eternity of Israel and severely damaged the Iranian ayatollah regime, including by destroying dozens of targets in Tehran tonight. *Now with all our strength to Gaza*, to complete the task - to destroy Hamas and return our hostages and, with God's help, to ensure the people of Israel many years of security and growth from strength."
Hamas in statement on June 20, translated from Arabic: "In a recurring daily bloodshed, the terrorist occupation army today committed a series of horrific massacres against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the death of around forty martyrs due to the bombing of homes and displaced persons' tents, and direct gunfire at starving civilians gathered near the Zionist-American-controlled humanitarian aid centers."
What Happens Next
With the focus shifted towards finding solutions to the conflict with Iran, it raises questions over whether there will be a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza or whether the conflict will intensify there.
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