Gaza will not be governed by Tel Aviv, Hamas, Israel DM says

Gaza will not be under the governance of either Hamas or Israel after the war, according to Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant.

He presented a post-war administration plan, which entails continuing the Israeli assault until the return of remaining hostages taken on 7 October, dismantling Hamas’s “military and governing capabilities,” and eliminating any military threats.

The Defence Minister is set to submit this plan for the “day after” the war to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, which has recently been divided on the future of Gaza.

He added that the upcoming phase of the conflict will see a more targeted approach by Israeli forces in the northern part of the enclave, while pursuit of Hamas leaders continues in the south, reported the BBC.

“In the northern region of the Gaza Strip, we will shift to a new combat strategy based on the military gains on the ground,” stated Gallant.

Operations will involve raids, the demolition of militants’ tunnels, air and ground strikes, and Special Forces activities. He said, these actions will “persist for as long as deemed necessary”.

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Following the war, Gallant asserted that Hamas would no longer govern Gaza, and Israel would retain operational freedom. However, there will be no Israeli civilian presence, and Palestinians will be in charge of the enclave.

“Gaza residents are Palestinian; therefore, Palestinian entities will be in charge, with the condition of no hostile actions or threats against the state of Israel,” Gallant emphasised.

Gallant revealed his plan as US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, was en route to the region for his fourth visit since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza on 7 October.

During his visit to Israel, discussions are anticipated to cover the shift to a new phase of Israeli military operations in Gaza, announced State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden, in a recent statement, proposed that Gaza be administered by “a revitalised Palestinian Authority.” 

In an opinion piece Biden penned for The Washington Post, he expressed his vision for the future of Gaza and the West Bank.

“As we strive for peace, Gaza and the West Bank should be reunited under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalised Palestinian Authority,” he wrote.

Highlighting his commitment to a two-state solution, Biden said: “There must be no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, no reoccupation, no siege or blockade and no reduction in territory.”

Israel launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Palestinian Resistance group, Hamas, on 7 October.

At least 22,438 Palestinians have since been killed and 57,614 others injured, according to Gaza’s health authorities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

However, since then, it has been revealed by Haaretz that helicopters and tanks of the Israeli army had, in fact, killed many of the 1,139 soldiers and civilians claimed by Israel to have been killed by the Palestinian Resistance.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60 per cent of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million displaced residents amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

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