Israeli Defense Chief Reveals Post-War Gaza Strategy amid Ongoing Conflict

Israel’s defense minister has laid out for the first time preliminary plans for the post-war administration of Gaza, saying neither Israel nor Hamas will rule the Palestinian territory after hostilities there conclude. The plan for the “day after” the war was unveiled Thursday night. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading back to the Middle East for the fourth time since a Hamas attack on October 7 triggered the war in Gaza. Israel’s war in the territory will continue until it has secured the return of the hostages taken on October 7 and dismantled Hamas’s “military and governing capabilities.” Displacements continued unabated, with AFP footage showing families arriving in the southern border city of Rafah in overloaded cars and on foot pushing handcarts stacked with bedding and other possessions. Blinken will hold what threaten to be tough talks with Israeli leaders on “immediate measures to increase substantially humanitarian assistance to Gaza.” Israel’s war against Hamas has threatened to spill over into a wider regional conflict after a strike in Lebanon killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri.