Newsletters
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed that Tel Aviv will never fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip and pledged to establish military outposts in northern Gaza, contradicting key elements of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement.
"We are deep inside Gaza, and we will never leave Gaza—there will be no such thing," Katz said at an event celebrating the construction of 1,200 new housing units on seized Palestinian land in the Beit El settlement in the occupied West Bank.
"When the time comes, God willing, we will establish in northern Gaza, Nahal outposts in place of the communities that were uprooted," Katz said, referring to military-agricultural settlements.
"We will do this in the right way and at the appropriate time," he added.
His remarks come as mediators press for the implementation of the next phases of the Trump-brokered ceasefire, which would require an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
In the same speech, Katz said Israel will not withdraw "even 1 millimeter" from territories it occupies in Syria and rejected any agreement with Damascus.
"We are not relying on anyone and no one should come and tell us otherwise. There will be no agreement and we will not retreat even 1 millimeter in Syria," Katz said.
U.S.-mediated negotiations between Israel and Syria had been underway in recent months. U.S. Ambassador to Ankara and Syria Special Envoy Tom Barrack said in September that Syria and Israel were "close to a de-escalation agreement."
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa had said on Sept. 17 that negotiations could "conclude in the coming days." However, the talks ultimately failed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded on Dec. 2 that the area from Damascus to the southern buffer zone be demilitarized as a condition for any agreement. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani responded on Dec. 7 that "there would be no agreement until Israel withdraws from Syrian territory."
Katz's remarks were criticized by former minister and chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, who accused the government of "acting against the broad national consensus, during a critical period for Israel's national security."
"While the government votes with one hand in favour of the Trump plan, with the other hand it sells fables about isolated settlement nuclei in the Strip," Eisenkot wrote on X.
Under the second phase of the Trump peace plan, Israeli forces are required to withdraw from all areas of Gaza. The agreement also envisions the establishment of an interim authority to govern Gaza instead of Hamas and the deployment of an international stabilization force.
On Thursday, several Israelis entered Gaza in defiance of army orders and held a symbolic flag-raising ceremony calling for the reoccupation and resettlement of the Palestinian territory.
Israel occupied Gaza in the 1967 Six-Day War and established illegal settlements that were evacuated in 2005 during Israel's unilateral disengagement. Some ministers in Netanyahu's cabinet and various organizations now advocate for rebuilding these settlements.
In a separate development, the Israeli parliament approved a two-year extension of a law allowing the government to ban foreign media broadcasts in the country without court approval.
The law, known publicly as the "Al Jazeera Law," passed 22-10 in a late-night vote. Under the law, if a foreign media outlet is deemed to "threaten state security," the prime minister and relevant cabinet committee can suspend its broadcasts, close press offices, seize equipment and block websites.
The law also grants the defense minister authority to block satellite broadcasts in the occupied West Bank.
Israel shut down Al Jazeera's operations in the country on May 5, 2024, closing offices and seizing equipment.
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
