Disagreements continue to afflict the Israeli government regarding the management of the war on Gaza, with Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly insisting that the war will not stop until Hamas is eliminated, without a plan for what comes next. However, the issue of "Gaza governance" after the war remains the crux of the matter, as Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant criticized the government's plan. He believed that without resolving the question of the day after the war, Israel would not succeed in ousting Hamas, indicating the need for a body to govern the Gaza Strip after the military operations conclude.
This announcement comes amid ongoing ambiguity and disputes surrounding the future leadership of the Gaza Strip after the bloody war launched by Israel, now in its seventh month, particularly after Netanyahu rejected a plan proposed by the security establishment to enable Fatah to govern Gaza, supported by the U.S.
The new plan suggests that the Israeli side would train Palestinians, specifically activists from Fatah led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, to counter Hamas's influence in the Strip. Additionally, the mentioned plan, which was presented to political leadership in recent weeks, aimed to prevent humanitarian aid and food from reaching Hamas and to encourage the movement to step back from governance and decision-making circles in central and northern Gaza. It also sought to lay the necessary foundations for establishing a Palestinian government in Gaza after the war and for reconstruction.
Palestinian Intelligence Director Majed Farraj was required to identify between 4,000 to 7,000 Fatah activists inside Gaza for Israel to vet and ensure they had no ties to Hamas. In a second phase of the plan, Tel Aviv would allow them to leave Gaza for training as an enduring security force. U.S. General Michael Benzel, the security coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, was to oversee this training process. Farraj reportedly approved the plan, according to the newspaper.
One official even sarcastically remarked, "Perhaps Netanyahu wants us to bring security personnel from Switzerland to manage Gaza." Many sources have previously indicated that Washington is pushing for the formation of a new Palestinian authority, free from allegations of corruption or inefficiency, to unify the West Bank and Gaza and to govern them after the conclusion of the Israeli war on the Strip, which erupted on October 7 following an attack by Hamas. The Palestinian Authority affirmed that any new government would not be factional, implying the exclusion of Hamas.
