Israel has no intention of staying permanently in Gaza -defence minister

Israel’s defence minister on Monday said his country has no intention of staying permanently in the Gaza Strip and that it was open to discussing alternatives about who would control the territory, as long as it was not a group hostile to Israel.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant also said that Israel was open to possibly reaching an agreement with Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, on the condition any agreement included a safe zone along the border and proper guarantees.

“Israel will take any measures in order to destroy Hamas, but we have no intention to stay permanently in the Gaza Strip,” he told reporters.

More than two months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 rampage through southern Israel that sparked the war and over a month since Israel launched its ground offensive, Gallant said serious progress had been made, particularly in northern Gaza, where things were nearing a “breaking point.”

He said that Israel was open to discussing alternatives about who might control Gaza after the war.

“The key condition is that this body will not act with hostility towards the state of Israel. All the rest, in my opinion, can be discussed. It certainly will not be Hamas, and also will not be Israel. We will maintain our freedom to act, to operate militarily against any threat.”

In an apparent shift in strategy, at least publicly, Gallant called on Hamas fighters and commanders to surrender, rather than be killed. “If you surrender you can save your lives. If not, your fate is sealed.”

Over 500 militants from Hamas and smaller group Islamic Jihad have been apprehended so far in Gaza and taken to Israel for questioning, the army said on Monday.

Gallant was also asked about developments along the border with Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting Hezbollah. Israel’s actions in Gaza, he said, should be heeded by Hezbollah.

“If Hezbollah will allow an agreement process, and I won’t go now into its details, but clearly it cannot be that it does not include a situation in which there is a safe distance from our fence to forces that could shoot into Israeli territory or forces that could take action inside Israel. If this is possible, with the appropriate guarantee, we can talk about it.”