Alleged Smotrich Claim of 400,000 Gaza Deaths Spurs Genocide Debate

Posts circulating on 26–27 June quote Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as saying that Israeli military operations have killed about 400,000 Palestinians in Gaza and that only 1.8 million of the enclave’s pre-war population of roughly 2.2 million remain. The same accounts say Smotrich vowed to press ahead until the remaining residents are expelled. The reported comments have drawn sharp reactions. Political commentator Rula Jebreal urged sanctions, while other social-media users accused the minister of openly endorsing ethnic cleansing. No official Israeli transcript or broadcast excerpt confirming the remarks has been released, and government spokespeople have not responded publicly in the material reviewed. The controversy resurfaced on 9 July during a panel on the French-language channel i24NEWS. Analyst Thomas Guénolé called Gaza “sovereign Palestinian territory” and demanded a full Israeli withdrawal, while linguist Yana Grinshpun countered that genocide allegations lack evidence. Media founder Simon Moos argued that labelling Israel’s campaign a genocide constitutes historical negationism, noting his own figure of 2.1 million Gazans still in the strip. With casualty estimates and population data heavily disputed and no official confirmation of Smotrich’s alleged statement, the episode has further polarised debate over Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the terminology used to characterise the conflict.