Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has presented his plan for the post-crisis administration of the Gaza Strip, saying neither Hamas nor Israel would govern the Palestinian territory after hostilities there conclude, AFP reports.
Gallant unveiled an outline of his plan for the “day after” the offensive to the press before submitting it to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, which has been divided in recent weeks over the future of Gaza after the ouster of Hamas, which has ruled the strip since 2007.
Under the plan, Israel’s offensive in the territory will continue until it has secured the return of the hostages taken on October 7, dismantled Hamas’s “military and governing capabilities”, and removed any remaining military threats.
After that, the outline says, a new phase will begin during which “Hamas will not control Gaza and will not pose a security threat to the citizens of Israel”, with local Palestinian bodies assuming the territory’s governance.
Israel would reserve its right to operate inside the territory, the plan states, but there would be “no Israeli civilian presence in the Gaza Strip after the goals of the war have been achieved”.
