Photo: Marc Israel Sellem/JINI via Xinhua
JERUSALEM, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled his post-war strategy for Gaza, the first since the conflict between Israel and Hamas erupted last October, which includes a permanent military presence in the Palestinian enclave and replacing Hamas, his office said in a statement Friday.
The document, which Netanyahu presented to members of his security cabinet on Thursday, outlines principles for the post-conflict governance of the Gaza Strip.
The plan aims to put "local officials" in the Palestinian enclave instead of Hamas, who are not linked to attacks against Israelis and will administer services. "Civil administration and responsibility for public order in the Gaza Strip will be based as much as possible on local residents with administrative experience," the document says.
The reconstruction of Gaza after the Israeli bombardment, which devastated much of its infrastructure and buildings, would only begin after the demilitarisation and 'deradicalisation' of Gaza as outlined in the plan. Reconstruction would be financed and carried out by countries deemed 'acceptable' by Israel.
The plan calls for tighter Israeli security oversight of Gaza. Under the proposed plan, Israel will "maintain operational freedom of military action throughout the Gaza Strip without time limitations" to prevent renewed hostilities from the Palestinian enclave.
Under the plan, a "security buffer zone" would be created in Gaza, which would be off-limits to Palestinians. Israeli media reports indicated that Israeli forces have already begun demolishing buildings, greenhouses and agricultural fields in the northern Gaza Strip to clear the ground for the creation of the zone.
Along the Gaza-Egypt border, Israel's presence is planned to thwart smuggling.
The plan defies international calls for a Palestinian state after the war and shows that Israel plans to maintain "security control" over the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The document, which is less than a page and a half long, was published four and a half months after Israel launched a retaliatory war against Hamas in Gaza in response to the movement's deadly surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
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