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Members of UNSC call on Israel to stop Rafah offensive
We’ve been covering the UN Security Council’s Gaza meeting, where officials from UN agencies and member states called on Israel to cease its offensive in the southern city of Rafah.
Gantz says neither Hamas nor Israel should rule Gaza
Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has expressed his opposition to Israel’s military assuming control over the Gaza Strip amid reports that a military occupation of the Palestinian territory would require extending the country’s mandatory military service from 32 months to four years, defence think tanks report.
The Washington DC-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) said in their latest Gaza assessment that Gantz’s comments follow on from his recent ultimatum to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to set a new strategy for Israel’s war on the Palestinian territory.
Gantz’s reported opposition to a military occupation of Gaza also comes after a government report was leaked in the Israeli media which estimates Israel would need a “a dramatic increase” in reserve soldiers to carry out such an operation and that it could cost about $5bn.
Israeli minister warns against military rule of Gaza
Israel should not impose military rule over Gaza as it could result in the loss of many soldiers, its Minister of Culture and Sports, Miki Zohar, said.
Zohar, a member of the right-wing Likud party led by PM Netanyahu, made the remarks during a party meeting on Monday, highlighting growing division within the bloc over the issue of Gaza’s post-war governance.
“Anyone here who calls for a military government knows that he will later go to the homes of the mothers who will lose, probably hundreds if not more soldiers, and explain to them why their children fell,” said Zohar, according to Israel National News.
Last week, Defense Minister Gallant, also a Likud member, called on Netanyahu to explicitly reject Israeli military rule of Gaza after the war and to outline an alternative plan for Gaza’s post-war governance.
Ben-Gvir promotes future Gaza settlements: ‘I would love to live in Gaza’
Israel’s far-right national security minister has again advocated for a full military takeover of Gaza after the war, even saying Israel should push Palestinians to “voluntarily” leave to make way for settlements.
“Israel should be the one that controls the Gaza Strip, unequivocally, and no one else,” said Itamar Ben-Gvir in comments carried by Israel’s Maariv news site.
Most important, he said, is “encouraging voluntary emigration of Palestinians” from the enclave, adding that Israel could then facilitate the return of settlements. “I would love to live in Gaza if possible”, said Ben-Gvir.
