Today, Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant revealed Israel’s plans for the next phase of its war on Gaza, as he said that it intends to follow a new, more targeted approach in the northern part of the Strip and an ongoing pursuit of the leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the south.
Gallant said, in a statement, that after the war, Hamas will not return to control Gaza, which “is scheduled to be administered by Palestinian bodies as long as there is no threat to Israel,” as he put it.
He also added that Israel will maintain freedom in operations, but there will be no Israeli civilian presence, he said.
Gallant said two days ago that they have no intention of stopping the fighting in Gaza, and that “the belief that Israel is on its way to stopping the fighting is incorrect.”
According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, there is a disagreement between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Defense Minister regarding the issue of the next day after the war.
Israeli military analyst Amos Harel believes that the Israeli army is actually moving towards a “third phase” of the war in Gaza, which will witness the withdrawal of its forces from the Gaza Strip and the demobilization of many reserve forces, while reducing the pace of bombing.
Israeli reports stated that Washington asked Israel to begin implementing the third phase this week, while the occupation army announced during the past two days a reduction in the number of its forces in Gaza, but did not officially approve the start of implementing this phase.
According to sources, the third stage requires the Israeli army to move from the stage of intensive bombing to targeted bombing and the withdrawal of forces from inside Gaza to the border between the two sides (the Gaza envelope areas).
