The Israeli newspaper Maariv revealed on Tuesday what it described as a “secret deal” between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism party. The alleged agreement trades support for renewed humanitarian aid to Gaza in exchange for government approval of new illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
In a report authored by Anna Braske, Maariv detailed the dramatic shift in Smotrich’s position: “Less than a month ago, Smotrich publicly opposed the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza. He declared that if even a single grain of aid reached Hamas, he would resign from the government and the security cabinet.”
However, just days ago, Smotrich held a press conference in which he expressed support for allowing basic humanitarian aid into Gaza. He framed it as a “necessary step to win the war and defeat Hamas.”
According to Maariv, citing political sources, this reversal came after high-level international pressure on Israel and dire reports about Gaza’s deepening humanitarian catastrophe. Behind closed doors, a political trade-off was reportedly struck: Netanyahu would approve the construction of hundreds of new settler housing units in illegal outposts across the West Bank — particularly in strategic agricultural and borderland areas — in return for Smotrich’s support of resumed aid deliveries to Gaza.
Settlements for Silence
The paper noted: “The deal was finalised in recent days. At Smotrich’s request, the Israeli government approved the settlement project late Monday night — the same evening it authorised the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza.”
Channel 14 previously reported that a proposal to build 22 new settlement units in the West Bank was already on the cabinet’s agenda. During a Monday meeting of the Israeli Security Cabinet, Maj. Gen. Rassan Alian, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), briefed ministers on updated mechanisms to oversee aid deliveries.
Alian acknowledged: “Despite efforts to monitor aid and prevent Hamas from accessing it, it is impossible to guarantee that none of the incoming supplies will reach members of Hamas.”
A source who attended the cabinet meeting told Maariv that Smotrich, in a surprising shift from his earlier threats, did not oppose the renewal of humanitarian aid. In fact, he reportedly endorsed the move — a reversal that “surprised many in the room.”
Denials from Netanyahu and Smotrich
In response to the report, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office denied any connection between the aid decision and the settlement approvals, stating: “There is no link between the two matters.”
Similarly, Smotrich’s office dismissed the claim as fiction, stating: “There is absolutely no connection between the two — not even in imagination.”
Despite these denials, the timing and political alignment between the two decisions have fueled public and media speculation that Israel’s far-right leadership is leveraging humanitarian aid to Palestinians as a bargaining chip to expand illegal settlements — a move that further undermines the prospect of peace and entrenches the occupation.
