Israel would reserve the right to operate within the territory, the plan states.
Tel Aviv, Israel:
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant unveiled his plan for the post-war administration of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, saying neither Hamas nor Israel would govern the Palestinian territory after hostilities there end.
Gallant revealed to the press a draft of his plan for the “day after” the war before presenting it to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet, which has been divided over the future of Gaza in recent weeks following the fall of ruling Hamas in the Strip since 2007 .
According to the plan, Israel's war in the area will continue until the return of the hostages captured on October 7 is secured, Hamas's “military and governance capabilities” are dismantled and all remaining military threats are eliminated.
After that, the draft says, a new phase will begin in which “Hamas will not control Gaza and will not pose a security threat to the citizens of Israel,” with local Palestinian bodies taking over administration of the territory.
Israel would reserve the right to operate within the territory, the plan says, but there would be “no Israeli civilian presence in the Gaza Strip after the war objectives have been achieved.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday called for the return of Israeli settlers to the area after the war and a “solution to encourage the emigration” of the Palestinian population from Gaza, echoing similar comments from far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The calls were condemned by both Arab states and key ally the United States.
“The residents of the Gaza Strip are Palestinians, therefore Palestinian entities will bear responsibility, on the condition that there will be no hostile actions or threats against the State of Israel,” Gallant's draft reads.
“The entity controlling the territory will build on the capabilities of the existing administrative mechanism (Civil Committee) in Gaza,” it said.
Washington has proposed that Gaza be governed by a “revived” Palestinian Authority based in the occupied West Bank.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said any possible deal would have to include “a political solution for all of Palestine,” not just Gaza.
“[Israel] wants to politically separate Gaza from the West Bank,” Shtayyeh said.
“I don't think Israel will leave Gaza very soon. I think Israel will create its own civil administration, subordinate to the Israeli occupation army. And therefore the question of the 'day after' is not yet clear.”
Gallant's plan comes on the eve of a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is traveling to the Middle East to push for more humanitarian aid to Gaza and avert a regional escalation of the conflict.
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