Gallant released the plan to the press before presenting it to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, which has been divided over Gaza’s future in recent weeks, the Guardian reports.
According to the plan, Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip will continue until the return of the hostages taken on October 7, the destruction of Hamas’ military and governance capabilities, and the elimination of all remaining military threats.
After that, according to the plan, a new phase will begin during which Hamas will no longer control Gaza and will pose a threat to Israeli citizens. Unspecified Palestinian entities are expected to begin governing.
According to the plan, Israel reserves the right to operate in the territory, but “once the war objectives are achieved, there will no longer be any Israeli civilian representation in the Gaza Strip.”
The title of Gallant’s paper is “a vision for the third phase of the war”. It was reported that these were Gallant’s ideas and not official policy, which had yet to be established by the Israeli Defense and Security Cabinet.
According to Gallant’s description, Israeli forces are taking up a new position in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, continuing to fight Hamas in the south as long as necessary.
According to Gallant’s statement, this new position means raids in the north, destruction of tunnels, air and ground operations and special operations aimed at eliminating the remaining Hamas presence.
It is not known whether the population of northern Gaza will be allowed to return from the south.
The statement doesn’t explain how this new location would differ from current operations, but Gallant has previously said it will be smaller in scope.
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2024-01-05 07:26:50
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