Date: May 19, 2025 (reported that day)

Location: During an emergency press conference in Israel, following the Security Cabinet’s approval to allow a minimal entry of aid into Gaza—organised in response to both internal criticism and international pressure

Smotrich was defending Israel’s decision to resume a very limited humanitarian aid flow—after a nearly two-and-a-half-month cutoff—even as the military intensified operations in Gaza. He emphasized the aid was just enough to avoid international accusations of war crimes, not to meet real humanitarian needs. Under this plan:

• A handful of bakeries would distribute pita bread.
• Public kitchens would serve a single plate of cooked food with soup.

Smotrich linked this approach to a broader military strategy of “disassembling Gaza” through large-scale destruction, while ensuring global actors wouldn't intervene. Aid was solely a means to maintain diplomatic cover

The statement reveals how aid was weaponized: not for alleviating suffering, but to portray a veneer of compliance, while continuing a campaign that devastated Gaza’s infrastructure and population.

International observers and legal experts interpret this as evidence of intentional starvation and displacement—raising grave concerns under international humanitarian law.