Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant presents the plan for the next phase of the war against Hamas, as well as his view on how Gaza should be governed when the war is over.
Israel must reserve the right to operate in Gaza but not with settlers.
In northern Gaza, Israel’s military is to move into an operational phase focusing on raids, tunnel destruction and special air and ground operations to dismantle what remains of Hamas.
There is no word on when the population of northern Gaza, which has been almost entirely driven south, will be allowed to return.
In the south, he states, the fighting will continue “as long as it is considered necessary”.
The war will continue until all hostages are freed, all military threats are removed, and Hamas’ “military and governance capabilities” are dismantled.
New phase after the war
Then follows a new phase, in which as yet unspecified Palestinian bodies take over the helm, under the guidance of Israel. A multinational task force, led by the United States, would be responsible for the reconstruction.
Israel retains security control and reserves the right to operate in Gaza. But not with a civilian presence, according to Gallant, who presented a review of the plan to journalists on Thursday before passing it on to Israel’s war cabinet.
The review, which is not very concrete, in any case goes against last week’s statements by two Israeli ministers about an Israeli civilian presence in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, said on New Year’s Day that Gazans should be encouraged to emigrate and Israeli settlers should return to the strip. A similar statement came from Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on New Year’s Eve.
Condemned by the US
The two ministers are leaders of respective ultra-nationalist parties that are part of the Israeli government, and both reside in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The statements, which have drawn strong international criticism, have been condemned by the US government as “provocative and irresponsible” rhetoric.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will shortly visit Israel for talks on the future of Gaza.
Blinken will, among other things, “ensure that Palestinians are not forcibly relocated from Gaza”, according to a statement from the US State Department.