Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has joined his colleague Ben-Gvir in criticising the military’s announced “tactical pause” along a humanitarian aid corridor in southern Gaza, Al Jazeera reports.

In a post on X, Smotrich claimed that much of the aid getting into Gaza, where nearly all people are food insecure, is serving Hamas, thus prolonging the offensive.

The military’s announcement of a “tactical pause” for humanitarian aid, he said, showed it was wrongly prioritising international legitimacy over “victory”.

Smotrich said the only way to win the offensive was to occupy Gaza and impose a temporary military government until Hamas was rooted out.