Key facts
- Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich claims US envoy Steve Witkoff referred to Gaza's entire population as "two million Nazis".
- The alleged remarks were made during a private meeting after Witkoff's visit to Gaza last August.
- Witkoff was appointed as the US special envoy to the Middle East.
- Smotrich also called for permanent Israeli territorial expansion in Lebanon at the same conference.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has alleged that US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, described the entire population of Gaza as "two million Nazis" during a private meeting last year. Smotrich recounted the incident at a conference in Israel, stating that the remarks were made after Witkoff's visit to Gaza in August, a period when Israel was implementing a campaign that restricted food entry into the territory.
According to Smotrich, Witkoff, who has a background in property law and no prior foreign policy or humanitarian experience, made the comment after being shown a propaganda video. Witkoff's publicly stated purpose for visiting Gaza was to "help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza." Smotrich also used the conference to advocate for Israeli territorial expansion in Lebanon, stating that "whoever messes with us will lose land for ever."
Smotrich's own past rhetoric has included calls to expel Palestinians from Gaza and settle the area with Jewish settlers. He has previously stated that "we need to encourage their emigration and settle Gaza" and that "our kids won't have to grow up within a spitting distance from two million Nazis who want to butcher, murder and rape."