JERUSALEM — Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday called for a military campaign in the occupied West Bank similar to Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.
Israel “should do there what we did in Gaza,” Smotrich told Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
Smotrich also renewed his call for dismantling the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in parts of the occupied West Bank.
His remarks come amid tightened Israeli restrictions on Palestinian movement across the territory, including checkpoint closures and roadblocks that have isolated communities and restricted access to workplaces, homes and essential services.
Violence in the occupied West Bank has escalated sharply since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
More than 1,206 Palestinians have been killed, over 13,300 wounded and nearly 26,000 arrested by Israeli forces and settlers during that period, according to Palestinian figures.
Israeli operations and settler attacks have also included the demolition of homes and other structures, attacks on mosques, the bulldozing of farmland, restrictions on farmers’ access to their land, displacement of Palestinians and the expansion of Israeli settlements.
In Gaza, nearly 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 175,000 wounded since the war began in October 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities. Palestinian officials say around 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged.
Israel has faced accusations of genocide over its conduct in Gaza, allegations it has rejected.
Despite a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have since killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and wounded around 5,000 others.
Source: Saudi Gazette