National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticized the continuation of negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza and a deal to return hostages from Hamas's terror captivity on Thursday.
"As the negotiations for reckless deals intensify, so does the motivation of Hamas terrorists to carry out more kidnappings," he said. "Last night, it cost us the life of an IDF soldier," he added.
Ben-Gvir was referring to Staff-Sergeant-Major Abraham Azulay, who was killed on Wednesday during an operational mission in Khan Yunis after terrorists emerging from a tunnel attempted to abduct him.
Ben-Gvir also called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in Washington to meet US President Donald Trump on the matter of a ceasefire, to stop the negotiations.
"Enough of negotiating with a murderous terror organization and pursuing a deal that will strengthen and sustain it," he stated.
"The lives of our soldiers and the residents of the South are more important than any normalization and economic agreements," he added.
"Give the order to crush Hamas to the end. We do not have unnecessary soldiers to lose in reckless deals," he concluded.
Ben-Gvir has repeatedly made calls to cease negotiations, including on Saturday, when he urged Netanyahu to reject the hostage agreement that the US supports in a post on X/Twitter.
Withdraw from the “surrender framework,” and "return to a framework of decisive victory," Ben-Gvir wrote.
“The only path to decisive victory and the secure return of our hostages is the full conquest of the Gaza Strip, a complete halt to so-called ‘humanitarian aid,’ and the encouragement of emigration,” he added.
What is the status of the ceasefire negotiations?
With a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal close to completion, the main unresolved issue remains the deployment of Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip during the proposed 60-day truce, a source familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday, as negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a deal continued in Doha, Qatar.
The source stated that the Israeli delegation presented a new proposal that included detailed maps outlining the deployment of troops throughout the duration of the deal. According to the source, the maps primarily focus on the area south of the Morag Corridor.
While Hamas has demanded a full IDF withdrawal during the 60-day period, as had occurred during the January ceasefire, Jerusalem has insisted on keeping forces in specific areas, including the Morag Corridor. Two officials said that the maps represent an Israeli concession, a noted change from the original position proposal, which is why the new one was introduced.
Amichai Stein and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.