Israel says army to remain in Gaza, same as occupied West Bank
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz told new army recruits he’s “confident” they will complete their goal of returning the captives and defeating Hamas.
In a statement on Telegram, Katz said the military will continue to be “around and inside” Gaza, just as it does in the occupied West Bank. In comments reported by the Israeli news outlet Walla, Katz also told the recruits they are the ones “who must bear the security responsibility” in the enclave.
On the captives held in Gaza, Katz said they were at the “heart of considerations”. “Any manoeuvre required, or even a deal with the enemy, to rescue 10 live abductees or even recover those who were killed, we will carry out while maintaining security. The central goal after the war is to prevent arms smuggling and prevent Hamas from rearming.”
As long as you keep dropping bombs Hamas has all the materials they need for IEDs, 10% or more of ordnance doesn't explode.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/28/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-weapons-rockets.html
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/thousands-of-unexploded-israeli-bombs-have-become-key-resource-for-hamas-wing-in-gaza-report/3559371
Katz just like Netanyahu need forever war to stay in power. You are indirectly arming Hamas while directly arming other militant groups in Gaza.
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/05/nx-s1-5424638/israel-arms-groups-against-hamas-gaza
Occupation has never made the West Bank more secure either.
‘Explicit threat’: Hamas slams Smotrich’s comments on Gaza
The Palestinian group has condemned far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s recent comments on Gaza as an “explicit threat to continue the crimes of genocide and forced displacement”.
“This statement coincides with parallel moves aimed at imposing the occupation’s ‘sovereignty’ over the West Bank. We affirm that this dangerous occupation escalation will be met with all forms of legitimate resistance in defence of our land and national rights,” Hamas said.
As we reported earlier, Smotrich told a conference that Israel is “closer than ever” to rebuilding the illegal settlement of Gush Katif in Gaza, which he called “an integral part of the land of Israel”.
Hamas’s statement also comes after Israeli publication Haaretz reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had presented a proposal to Israel’s security cabinet to annex parts of the Gaza Strip in an effort to prevent Smotrich’s resignation.
