Israel plans to maintain “security control” in the Gaza Strip even after a ceasefire, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.
This means that the Israeli army, after dismantling the military and administrative capabilities of the Palestinian militant Hamas organization, would retain “complete freedom of action,” similar to the situation in the West Bank, Katz posted on social media platform X.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces regularly carry out raids on towns technically under the security control of the Palestinian Authority.
“We will not tolerate any terrorist organization against Israeli communities and Israeli citizens from the Gaza Strip,” Katz said, adding: “We will not allow a return to the pre-October 7 reality.”
The massacre carried out by Hamas and other coastal militant groups in Israel on October 7 last year resulted in 1,200 deaths and more than 250 kidnappings, sparking the Gaza war.
Since then, Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza, where Palestinian sources say more than 45,000 people have been killed so far.
Hamas is demanding a complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip and an end to the war as conditions for a ceasefire. However, Israel strives to prevent a post-war revival of the Islamic organization at all costs.
