Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, clarified his stance on Gaza’s future security control in a post on X (formerly Twitter) Tuesday. He confirmed that after defeating Hamas’s military and governance in Gaza, Israel would maintain security control with full operational freedom, similar to its approach in the West Bank. Katz emphasized that Israel would not allow a return to the pre-October 7th status quo.
His comments came after a Channel 12 report claimed Katz privately told a US official that Israel was not seeking to control Gaza after the war. According to the report, Katz had stated that Israel had no interest in governing Gaza’s civilians or establishing settlements there.
Additionally, Katz expressed support for protecting the Palestinian Authority (PA) from threats posed by Iran and Hamas, stressing the need to shift the PA toward a more moderate stance.
