Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlement Minister Orit Strook called on the security cabinet to prevent any multinational force from entering the Gaza Strip until Hamas is fully disarmed, following Strook's unannounced Friday visit to the ISF base near Kerem Shalom. The ministers warn the force is significantly larger than what was presented to the cabinet.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlement Minister Orit Strook on Sunday evening called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the security cabinet to prevent any multinational force from entering the Gaza Strip until Hamas is fully disarmed, following a surprise inspection conducted by Strook on Friday.
According to the ministers' letter, reported by Amit Segal (N12) and Ariel Kahana (Israel Hayom), Strook toured the site of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) base under construction near the Kerem Shalom crossing. The visit uncovered "intensive efforts" to prepare infrastructure for approximately 5,000 foreign personnel — a scale and mission profile the ministers argue were never presented to the security cabinet. "This force is far larger and intended for a fundamentally different role than what was presented to the cabinet," they wrote.
The ministers warned against allowing the force to be deployed before the disarmament of Hamas is completed. "We must not reach a situation where the multinational force, on such a massive scale, is ready and waiting to enter Gaza, and immense pressure will be applied to Israel to allow its entry even though demilitarization has not yet been carried out," the letter stated.
Smotrich and Strook demanded a corrective cabinet decision as early as Monday to block the entry of any international force until full disarmament and demilitarization are achieved. The demand sets up a potential confrontation in Monday's cabinet meeting, as right-wing coalition members have previously expressed concern that the international force could constrain IDF operational freedom.
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