Jerusalem: Israel’s defence minister has publicly presented for the first time proposals for the post-war administration of Gaza, where the military on Friday reported deadly overnight strikes.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant’s plan for the “day after”, shared with the media late Thursday but not yet adopted by Israel’s war cabinet, says that neither Israel nor Palestinians will govern Gaza and rejects future Jewish settlements there.
The minister’s broad outline was unveiled on the eve of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s fourth trip to the region October 7 attack that triggered the war.
Questions over the future of the besieged Palestinian territory have been front of mind for many as calls mount for a ceasefire after nearly three months of devastating fighting.
Much of the Gaza Strip has been reduced to rubble, while civilian deaths have soared and the UN has warned of a humanitarian crisis that has left hundreds of thousands displaced, facing famine and disease.
Bombing continued through the night in the southern areas of Khan Yunis and Rafah as well as parts of central Gaza, according to AFP correspondents.
The Israeli army said its forces had “struck over 100 targets” across Gaza over the past 24 hours, including military positions, rocket launch sites and weapons depots.
A fighter jet hit the central area of Bureij overnight, after what the army described in a statement as an attempted attack on an Israeli tank.
According to Gallant’s proposed outline, the war will continue until Israel has dismantled “military and governing capabilities” of Palestinians and secured the return of hostages taken on October 7.
After Israel achieves its objectives — for which the proposal sets no timeline — Palestinian “civil committees” will begin assuming the territory’s governance, it said.
“Palestinian bodies will be in charge, with the condition that there will be no hostile actions or threats against the State of Israel.”