The ceasefire agreement with Hamas is not a strategic victory for Israel, says the economy minister
The recently brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas is not a “strategic” victory for the Jewish state, Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat told CNBC.
Announced last week, the deal has so far called for the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and, if honored by all sides, would continue to release prisoners and end the devastating 15-month war between the two rivals.
Still, speaking at the World Economic Forum, Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat told CNBC’s Dan Murphy on Tuesday, “I don’t think it’s a strategic victory. The strategic victory is to bring peace to the Middle East.”
He added that such an outcome would involve Hamas’ historic ally Iran failing to achieve what Barkat described as Tehran’s goal of “wiping Israel off the map.”
“We have to make sure they never have that. There are Iran’s fingerprints all over our region, all over October 7,” the minister said, referring to a 2023 Hamas-led attack that killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and took more than 200 hostages.
“We have to make sure they pay a heavy price for that,” he added, saying Israel must also pursue “jihadists” in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and “all over the world” as well as expand the Abraham Accords – a set of agreements to normalize Arab-Israeli relations .
“This would be a strategic victory,” Barkat said.
People walk to their homes through the destroyed streets of Gaza City on January 19, 2025. T
Abood Abusalam | Afp | Getty Images
Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza in response to an October 7 attack by Hamas and severe restrictions on food and aid supplies to the blockaded enclave have killed more than 46,000 Palestinians in the Strip, according to local health authorities.
The United Nations and World Health Organization, along with several other international aid bodies, have described the situation in Gaza as a “humanitarian disaster” as the destruction of hospitals and critical infrastructure exacerbates hunger and disease on the ground.
Since a ceasefire was agreed upon, the amount of aid going to the enclave has increased.
Israel’s economy minister expressed optimism about the recently inaugurated administration of US President Donald Trump, suggesting that his leadership will be better for Israel than that of his predecessor Joe Biden.
“President Biden, whom we thank for his help, has been reining in Israel … President Trump is supporting Israel,” Barkat said. He described Trump as representing a path that is more aggressive toward Iran and more supportive of expanding the Abraham Accords, which he brokered in his previous term.
“I believe that’s the right attitude in the Middle East. You have to be very aggressive with the bad guys and good with the good guys,” he said. “And remember that the peace we have with our neighbors – with Egypt, 40 years and with Jordan, 25 years – Abraham’s covenant, four years [since 2020] stuck through this round of violence. They understand that we cooperate.”
The Biden administration provided Israel with $17.9 billion in military aid in the year ending October 7, 2023, according to a Brown University Costs of War Project report released in October 2024.
