Influential journalist: Israel will annex a part of Gaza for every hostage harmed

The proposal discussed echoes one put forward last month by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who said Israel should seize areas of Gaza if the hostages are not returned. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Prominent journalist and radio and TV personality Amit Segal said that Israel is considering several strategies to pressure Hamas to return hostages, including the annexation of a portion of Gaza for every captive the terror group harms.

The logic behind this tactic is that Hamas is more concerned about losing a foothold and areas of land than they are about civilian deaths.

According to Segal, Israel is demanding that Hamas agree to the proposal put forward by Steven Witkoff, the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, who proposed that half of the captives be released to restart negotiations in the second phase of the hostage release and ceasefire deal.

The proposal discussed by Segal echoes one that was put forward last month by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who suggested that Israel seize areas of Gaza if the hostages are not returned.

Speaking last month at the Sovereignty Conference 2025 in Jerusalem, Smotrich, who also heads the Religious Zionism Party, stated that if the hostages—both the living and the deceased—are not returned by a certain deadline, “Israel will expand the agricultural areas of the Be’eri and Nir Oz kibbutzim into the perimeter area of the Gaza Strip.”

Kibbutz agriculture, he continued, “will expand at the expense of Gaza—and this land will remain in our hands forever.”

This ultimatum was the most concrete action plan that came out of the conference, an annual event focused on making Judea, Samaria, and Gaza inseparable parts of the State of Israel.

During the February talk, while the ceasefire was in effect, Smotrich said that Israel would return to fighting in Gaza but did not indicate when.

“We are preparing, gaining capabilities, and when we feel we are ready, we will open the gates of hell on Hamas again. It requires patience, but in the end, we will bring about the desired outcome,” he said.

During a later Q&A with Channel 12 News journalist Amit Segal, Smotrich said that in a year from now, Gaza will be “held by us, with fewer Gazans and more Israelis moving there. If we take out 10,000 Gazans a day, within four months, the Strip will be empty. That would be the best solution—for us and for them.”