Jewish settlement in Gaza would've prevented October 7, Smotrich says

"If there had been Jewish settlement in Gush Katif, the [October 7] massacre would not have happened," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said at the 10th Katif Conference for National Responsibility held Monday, adding that mistakes are meant to be fixed.

Smotrich said that if there had been Jewish settlement, Hamas would not have taken over Gaza and turned it into a giant "terror monster."

"Where there is no settlement, there is terror. We are committed to rebuilding the Gaza border area from destruction, and an inseparable part of that is settlement in the Gaza Strip that will bring back security to Be'eri," he added.

War goals should be in consensus 

Resettlement of the Gaza strip should not be a goal of the current war, he added, saying that it is important that the current war focus on the goals of the war that are in consensus in Israeli society, such as destroying Hamas and returning the hostages.

Smotrich also said that the IDF should be involved in some parts of administration for Gazan citizens in order to meet the humanitarian needs of the population and prevent Hamas from gaining control of all humanitarian aid.

The conference was held by the Gush Katif Heritage Center in cooperation with Yisrael Hayom. Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chair MK Yuli Edelstein, and Israel's Defense and Security Forum founder Amir Avivi, were also scheduled to attend the conference.