Smotrich Hostage Firestorm: 'All the Hostages Are Here Because of Me'

Finance Minister and Religious Zionism chairman Bezalel Smotrich claimed Sunday on Nadav Perry's 'All In' podcast that 'all the hostages are here because of me,' asserting he prevented an early end to the Gaza war and blocked a deal after the January 2025 partial release that would have returned only eight additional hostages, by drawing a red line with Prime Minister Netanyahu. 'Had I not drawn a red line at that moment and told Netanyahu, there is no such thing, we would still be negotiating with Hamas over one more hostage and then another,' Smotrich said. The remarks drew an immediate rebuke from former hostage Or Levy, who responded on Instagram, 'If when you say because of you, you mean hostages were murdered while you torpedoed deals, then yes,' accusing the minister of 'gaslighting propaganda' and saying 'for you, we are collateral damage.' Smotrich, along with ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir, Orit Strock, Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Amichai Eliyahu, voted against the October 2025 deal that ended the war and brought the remaining hostages home.