Israeli DM wants control over Gaza amid ceasefire deal push

In a post made on X on Tuesday, Israel Katz said his government would “have security control over Gaza with full freedom of action just as it did in Judea and Samaria”, using the Israeli name for the occupied West Bank.

“We will not allow a return to the reality of before 7 October,” he added.

His comments came as Israeli daily newspaper Ynet reported that the military plans to maintain a presence in areas it currently occupies to prevent displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes in northern Gaza.

The report added that this meant that Israel was adopting the controversial “Generals’ Plan”, also known as the Eiland Plan, which would leave the area’s security under Israeli military control.

Human rights activists and experts have warned against the Israeli onslaught in northern Gaza, saying that it is “genocidal” and a “perversion of law”.

Proposed and promoted by a group of senior Israeli army reservists, the scheme involves forcibly displacing the entire population of northern Gaza and then besieging the area, including blocking the entry of humanitarian supplies, to starve out anyone left.

The plan’s stated aim is to defeat Hamas in the north, but it views civilians who choose to stay as legitimate military targets. Since 5 October, northern Gaza has been subject to a brutal siege, barring all humanitarian aid from entering.

Meanwhile, talks to secure a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas have been progressing, according to several reports.

Hamas announced on Tuesday that it believes ceasefire negotiations have been productive enough for a ceasefire to be agreed, but only if Israel does not impose further conditions.

“The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, confirms that in light of the serious and positive discussions taking place in Doha today, under the auspices of the Qatari and Egyptian mediators, reaching an agreement on a ceasefire and prisoner exchange is possible if the occupation stops adding new conditions,” the group said in a statement.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also told Fox News on Tuesday that the deal is “getting closer”.

“We believe – and the Israelis have said this – that we’re getting closer, and no doubt about it, we believe that,” he added.

“But we also are cautious in our optimism,” he continued, stating, “We’ve been in this position before where we weren’t able to get it over the finish line.”

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 45,000 people, most of the population has been driven from their homes multiple times and hundreds of thousands are at risk of famine.