NAZARETH, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Israeli Army Minister Israel Katz reiterated on Thursday that Israel “will never leave the Gaza Strip,” just two days after remarks in which he said Tel Aviv intended to establish agricultural-military bases and settlement outposts inside Gaza, comments he later walked back following US anger and Washington’s request for official clarification from the Israeli government.
Katz made the statements while speaking at a conference organized by Israeli media outlets, including the Hebrew newspaper Makor Rishon, where he addressed what he described as the “second phase” of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
The Hebrew-language news site Walla quoted Katz as claiming that “Israel has won in Gaza, and this victory must be translated in the right way,” adding: “We must decisively defeat Hamas and free all the abductees,” referring to the remains of the last Israeli captive in Gaza, soldier Ran Giveli.
Katz addressed voices questioning the feasibility of achieving military victory while securing the return of captives, saying that “many doubted it was possible to achieve both,” and describing what happened as “one degree short of a miracle.”
He also claimed that Hamas leaders had said they would not allow Israel to remain along the so-called “yellow line,” but “then surrendered,” according to his remarks.
Discussing military operations, Katz alleged that the Israeli army knew the whereabouts of Hamas leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad but refrained from targeting him at the time out of concern for the safety of Israeli captives.
He added, “Today we are in a simple situation. US President Donald Trump presented a plan, and we support it,” arguing that Trump should “eliminate terrorist infrastructure and disarm Hamas.”
Katz concluded by stressing once again that “Israel will never leave Gaza,” asserting that “a large area inside the Strip will be established to protect settlement,” and indicating that, in his view, “Nahal settlement nuclei will be established in the northern part of the Gaza Strip in the future.”
Katz had made similar remarks last Tuesday, stating that Israel would never fully withdraw from Gaza and would establish settlement outposts in the north of the Strip.
At the time, he said, “When the time comes, we will establish Nahal settlement groups in northern Gaza instead of the settlements that were removed,” referring to Israel’s 2005 unilateral disengagement plan, which involved withdrawing from Gaza and evacuating its settlements.
