Israeli troops to remain in so-called ‘security zones’ in Gaza indefinitely as aid blockade to continue, minister says
Israel's defence minister said troops will remain in so-called security zones in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria indefinitely, and there are no plans to lift the aid blockade on Gaza.
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He also said Israel is trying to pressure Hamas by blocking all aid to Gaza, amid calls to lift its total blockade on the siege which has left hundreds of thousands without vital food and fuel parcels.
Israel has imposed its blockade of food, fuel, water and medicine since 2 March, more than two weeks before Israel abandoned its ceasefire with Hamas and re-started air and ground attacks on the territory.
The remarks by Israel Katz could further complicate talks with Hamas over a ceasefire and hostage release.
Mr Katz said Israeli forces "will remain in the security zones as a buffer between the enemy and (Israeli) communities in any temporary or permanent situation in Gaza - as in Lebanon and Syria".
He said: "Unlike in the past, the (Israeli military) is not evacuating areas that have been cleared and seized."
Israeli forces have taken over more than half of Gaza in recent weeks in a renewed campaign to pressure Hamas to release hostages after Israel ended their ceasefire last month.
Katz also said there are no plans to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza in a bid to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages, which would have been released under the existing ceasefire agreement.
Katz said: “Israel’s policy is clear: no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza, and blocking this aid is one of the main pressure levers preventing Hamas from using it as a tool with the population.”
“No one is currently planning to allow any humanitarian aid into Gaza, and there are no preparations to enable such aid,” said Katz, who said Israeli attacks would escalate with “tremendous force” if Hamas failed to return the hostages.
The blockade of humanitarian aid has been widely condemned, as Doctors Without Borders on Wednesday said Gaza had been "turned into a mass grave of Palestinians and those coming to their assistance".
Other international rights agencies, including Amnesty International, have said the blockade of food and supplies violates international humanitarian law, constituting a crime against humanity. Israel denies these allegations.
More than 51,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the start of the conflict, including more than 1,600 people since Israel broke off the ceasefire on 18 March – an average of more than 50 deaths per day.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251.
Meanwhile, two Israeli drone strikes on Wednesday in southern Lebanon killed two people, the health ministry said. The UN said Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 70 civilians since the ceasefire took effect in November.
Lebanese president Joseph Aoun said that Israel's continued presence in some areas in Lebanon was "hindering" the Lebanese army's full deployment as required by the ceasefire negotiated with Israel. The war left over 4,000 people dead in Lebanon, many of them civilians.
Israel has refused to withdraw from some areas in Lebanon following a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group last year, and it seized a buffer zone in southern Syria after the overthrow of President Bashar Assad.
Israel says it must maintain control of such territories to prevent a repeat of the Hamas attack that triggered the latest conflict.
Fifty-nine hostages are still inside Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
On Wednesday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group released a video of hostage Rom Braslavski.
It was the first sign of life of him, though recently released hostages had said they had seen him in captivity.
In the video, which was filmed under duress, Mr Braslavski says he was held in terrible conditions and pleads with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the war and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The main organisation representing families of the hostages said earlier in a statement: "They promised that the hostages come first. In practice, Israel is choosing to seize territory before the hostages.
"There is one solution that is desirable and feasible, and that is the release of all the hostages at once as part of an agreement, even at the cost of ending the war."
Mr Netanyahu has vowed to annihilate Hamas and return the 59 hostages still in Gaza.
He has said that Israel will then implement US President Donald Trump's proposal for the resettlement of much of Gaza's population in other countries through what Mr Netanyahu refers to as "voluntary emigration".
Mr Netanyahu helms the most nationalist and religious government in Israel's history, and his coalition partners have called for the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza.
Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 and dismantled its settlements there.
Arab countries and Palestinians have universally rejected Mr Trump's proposal, which human rights experts say would likely violate international law.
Palestinians in Gaza say they do not want to leave, and fear another mass expulsion like the one that occurred during the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948.