Katz assures that Israel will maintain “total security control” in Gaza after the end of the military offensive

The Minister of Defense affirms that Israel will have “total freedom of action”, “the same” as it currently does in the West Bank

Dec. 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Minister of Defense of Israel, Israel Katz, assured this Tuesday that the Israeli authorities will maintain “total security control” over the Gaza Strip once the military offensive launched against the enclave after the attacks carried out on October 7 concludes. 2023 by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and other Palestinian factions.

“My position on Gaza is clear. Once we defeat the military and governmental power of Hamas in Gaza, Israel will have full security control over Gaza, with complete freedom of action, just like in Judea and Samaria,” he said, using the name Biblical West Bank.

“We will not allow any terrorist action against Israeli communities and Israeli citizens from Gaza. We will not allow a return to the reality before October 7 (2023),” the minister stressed through a message published on his account on the social network. x.

The situation around the governance of Gaza is one of the main points in the negotiations for a ceasefire that involves the release of those kidnapped during the October 7 attacks, with Hamas demanding a full withdrawal of troops and Israel defending the presence of contingents or the maintenance of a certain control over the enclave.

Katz himself stated on Monday that an agreement for the release of hostages “is closer than ever”, after the latest indirect contacts with the Palestinian Islamist group and the intensification of the offensive against Gaza, amid international complaints about the deepening of the humanitarian crisis and the enormous number of victims.

Israel launched its offensive against Gaza after the aforementioned attacks on October 7, 2023, which left nearly 1,200 dead and about 250 kidnapped, according to figures provided by the Israeli authorities.

Since then, the Gazan authorities, controlled by Hamas, have reported the deaths of more than 45,000 Palestinians in the Strip, to which are added around 800 Palestinians killed at the hands of Israeli forces and in attacks carried out by settlers since then in West Bank and East Jerusalem.