Israels försvarsminister 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 once the war is over.
Israel will reserve the right to operate in Gaza but not with settlers.
In northern Gaza, Israel’s military will transition to an operational phase focusing on raids, tunnel destruction, and specific air and ground operations to break down what remains of Hamas.
No words are spoken about when the population of northern Gaza, almost entirely driven south, will be allowed to return.
In the south, he said, the fighting will continue ”as long as necessary.”
The war will continue until all hostages are free, all military threats have been removed, and Hamas’ ”military and governing capacity” has been dismantled.
New phase after the war
This will be followed by a new phase, where unspecified Palestinian bodies take over the administration, under the guidance of Israel. A multinational working group, led by the US, would be responsible for the reconstruction.
Israel will retain security control and reserve 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 submitting it to Israel’s war cabinet.
The review, which is not very specific, goes against last week’s statements from two Israeli ministers about an Israeli civilian presence in the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s Minister of Public Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, said on New Year’s Day that Gazabor should be encouraged to emigrate and that 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 separate ultra-nationalist parties within the Israeli government, and both reside in settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The statements, which have attracted strong international criticism, have been condemned by the US government as ”provocative and irresponsible” rhetoric.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will soon visit Israel for talks on Gaza’s future.
Blinken will, among other things, ”ensure that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced from Gaza,” according to a statement from the US State Department.
