The Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, made public late this Thursday his plan for the next phases of the war in Gaza, also including the future that is wanted for the strip after the end of Hamas. The objective is, as explained, for the Palestinians to govern the strip, for there to be Israeli control over it, and for there to be no Israeli civilians in the enclave.
Gallant, also a member of Likud, the party of Prime Minister Beniamin Netanyahu, specifies in the document provided by the press office of the Israeli Government that “Hamas will not govern Gaza, Israel will not govern the civilians of Gaza. (…) Palestinian organizations will be in charge on the condition that there will be no hostile actions.”
This translates into several operational phases that are expected to be undertaken in the coming weeks and whose purpose is, precisely, to be able to propose this post-Hamas scenario.
The return of the hostages (129, according to Jerusalem's calculations), the dismantling of Hamas's military and government capacity and the elimination of long-term military threats to the enclave are the priority announced by the Minister of Defense. Therefore, it is stated that military operations on the ground will continue in the north, center and south of the Palestinian enclave. Although it is in southern Gaza where the Minister of Defense places the most emphasis, since "operational efforts are focused on eliminating the leadership of Hamas" and "will continue for as long as it is considered necessary," he details.
Hamas leaders remain unaccounted for almost three months after the war began. And they are believed, precisely, in the south of Gaza.
Gallant notes that “Israel will reserve its operational freedom of action in the Gaza Strip” so that those “necessary measures will be taken to ensure that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel.” He cites, therefore, that “the entity that will control the territory will take advantage of the capabilities of the existing administrative mechanism, the civil committees in Gaza: non-hostile local actors.” He also indicates that “due to security requirements, Israel will carry out inspection of goods entering the Gaza Strip.”
The outlined plan insists, however, that “there will be no Israeli civilian presence in Gaza once the objectives of the war have been achieved.”
The Defense Minister's document is concrete. It is largely in line with what influential actors in the region and the Government – such as the United States – demand. But the prime minister has several internal tensions in his cabinet that still do not ensure a common position. And the plan detailed by Minister Gallant can, and more than likely will, open more cracks.
