Israel’s defence minister has outlined his vision for the next stage of the war in Gaza, including a more targeted approach in the north while fighting Hamas in the south “for as long as necessary”.
Yoav Gallant explained his proposal for how Gaza could be run once Hamas is defeated, with Israel keeping security control of the territory while an Israeli-guided Palestinian body runs day-to-day administration, and the US and other countries oversee rebuilding.
He said operations in the north would include raids, demolishing tunnels, air and ground strikes, and special forces operations against Hamas.
While in the south the focus would be on wiping out Hamas leaders and rescuing around 130 Israeli hostages, who are still being held captive after they were abducted on 7 October, Mr Gallant added.
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Mr Gallant issued his plans in a document, titled a “vision for Phase 3” of the war, before a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the Middle East.
The ideas in the document are Mr Gallant’s and not official policy, his office said. Official policy changes would have to be agreed by Israel’s war and security cabinets.
It suggests Mr Gallant, who is a member of both cabinets, may be trying to push his personal plan to the Americans ahead of others in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.
Israel’s war in Gaza is nearing the three-month mark and has killed more than 22,400 people, more than two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Its count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Some 85% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes and squeezed into small slivers of the territory. Israel’s siege has caused a humanitarian crisis, with a quarter of the population starving because not enough supplies are entering the area, according to the UN.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after its 7 October attack, in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted approximately 240 others.
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An Israeli tank in Gaza
Mr Gallant’s statement said the war would go on until Hamas’s military and government capabilities were eliminated and the Israeli hostages still in captivity were returned.
His calls for an Israeli-guided Palestinian administration for Gaza differ from Washington’s vision of a renewed Palestinian Authority which would take control of the territory and begin negotiations towards creating a Palestinian state alongside Israel – something Mr Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have rejected.