Israel’s defence minister said there should be “no Israeli civilian presence” in Gaza when its war with Hamas is over, as he set out his vision for the next phases of the conflict and its aftermath.
In a document released on Thursday night, shortly before Israel’s war cabinet was due to discuss the postwar future of Gaza, Yoav Gallant said Israel should retain “operational freedom of action” in the enclave and take any action needed to “ensure that Gaza will pose no threat to Israel”.
However, he said that once the fighting was over, civilian governance of the territory should be in the hands of the Palestinians.
“Gaza residents are Palestinian, therefore Palestinian bodies will be in charge, with the condition that there will be no hostile actions or threats against the State of Israel,” the document released by his office said.