On Monday, Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized the hostage deal on the table and told security chiefs who supported it that they should “know their place” and focus on winning the war rather than meddling in politics.

Smotrich began the party meeting by honoring a fallen soldier, Captain Mordechai Kadmon, killed in action in Gaza, and the two hostages — Alex Dancyg and Yagiv Buchstab — who were declared as having been killed several months ago in Khan Younis.

He addressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current trip to Washington and urged him not to cave to US pressure to establish a Palestinian State.