The devastating war between the Israeli army and the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas has been going on for almost three months and it does not seem like it will end in the short term.
Despite this, there are numerous questions about the future in the Gaza Strip after the conflict.
These are some of the points of view from Israeli, American and Palestinian leaders on what could happen to the Palestinian enclave, devastated by the Israeli air and ground offensive launched after the bloody Hamas attacks of October 7.
Israeli draft plan
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant unveiled on Thursday the main guidelines of a first plan for “after the war” in Gaza, which has yet to be examined by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet.
According to the draft, the Israeli offensive in Gaza “to be continue” until the “return of the hostages” and the “dismantling Hamas’ military and governance capacity” and “eliminating the military threat” in that Palestinian territory, Gallant explained.
Once the offensive is over, in the postwar period “Hamas will no longer control Gaza”. This will put an end, according to the Israeli plan, to more than 16 years of rule by the Palestinian Islamist organization in Gaza.
“There will be no Israeli civilian presence in Gaza after war objectives have been achieved“, assured the minister, who specified that the army of the Hebrew State will maintain “your freedom of action“to stop any possible”threat”.
“The inhabitants of Gaza are Palestinians. Therefore, the Palestinian entities will take the reins on the condition that there is no hostile action or threat against the State of Israel.”Gallant added, without giving more details about which Palestinian group will be able to govern in the Strip.
The Israeli extreme right
The Israeli Minister of National Security, the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir, called on Monday for a return of Jewish settlers in Gaza after the war and “asked” to the Palestinian population who emigrate to other Arab countries.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is also part of the hardest wing of the executive, made similar statements.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said he was “very concerned by statements by senior Israeli officials regarding plans to transfer civilians from Gaza to third countries”.
Unlike the occupied West Bank, Israel withdrew its 8,000 settlers from Gaza in 2005, but since 2007 it has placed a strict blockade on the enclave.
USA
The United States, Israel’s main military and political ally, defended that in the future both Gaza and the West Bank should be governed by the Palestinian Authority.
However, the current president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, is a weakened figure and only has limited government capacity in the West Bank.
“Gaza is a Palestinian territory and will remain Palestinian and Hamas will not control it in the future“, stated the North American State Department, which it described as “irresponsible” the statements of Ben Gvir and Smotrich.
Palestinian leaders
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said Tuesday that he is willing to accept a single Palestinian administration that rules both Gaza and the West Bank: “We are open to the idea of a national government”, he assured.
Abbas referred to Gaza as a “integral part” of the State to which the Palestinians aspire.
Hamas, which won a Palestinian election in 2006, took control of Gaza in 2007 after violent clashes with Abbas’s party.
Since then, attempts at reconciliation between these two Palestinian formations have failed.
Source: Gestion
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