Israel's war cabinet minister promises to resign if Gaza doesn't have a post-war plan

Benny Gantz, the Israeli military cabinet minister, has vowed to step down unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lays forth a strategy for the Gaza Strip after the battle.

Six "strategic goals" were to be met by June 8th, according to Mr. Gantz. These included the creation of a multinational civilian government for Gaza and the removal of Hamas from power there.

 You will find allies in this fight if you choose the country above yourself," he said. "But if you choose the path of fanatics as well as march the entire nation to the abyss, everyone will be forced to quit the government."

The remarks were brushed off by Mr. Netanyahu as "washed-up words" that would result in "defeat for Israel".

In the days that followed the October 7 assaults, in which militants from Hamas and other organizations killed almost 1,200 people and kidnapped another 252 when they crossed into Israel from Gaza, the war cabinet was formed.

The remarks made by Mr. Gantz coincide with a few days after Yoav Gallant, the defence minister and another member of the war cabinet, pushed Mr. Netanyahu to publicly declare that Israel had no intention of assuming civilian and military authority in Gaza.

Mr. Gallant claimed he had brought up the matter many times over the course of months but had gotten no reaction.

The event reveals a widening division among Mr. Netanyahu's administration and the Israeli military cabinet.

While others, such as far-right members of Mr. Netanyahu's governing coalition in the government, think that continuing military control in Gaza is vital to defeat Hamas, Mr. Gantz and Mr. Gallant argue that doing so would heighten Israel's security threats.

Mr. Gantz informed Mr. Netanyahu that the "people of Israel are watching you" during a broadcast speech on Saturday.

"You have to select between Zionism and cynicism, between unity and factions, amongst responsibility and lawlessness, between victory as well as disaster," he said.

The release of all Israeli and international captives held by Hamas in Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinian citizens to northern Gaza by September 1st were two of the six strategic objectives he outlined.

By saying that Israel should not give up on normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia, he meant a "comprehensive process that establishes an alliance with the free world as well as the West against Iran and its allies".

Following Mr. Gantz's instructions, Mr. Netanyahu said in reaction to the speech that "the end of the war and a defeat for Israel, the leaving of majority of the hostages, leaving Hamas intact as well as the establishment of a Palestinian state" would occur.

According to reports in Israeli media, Herzi Halevi, the country's army chief of staff, has also personally stressed Mr. Netanyahu on the need of a "day after" policy.

The Israeli military's recent re-entry into northern Gaza regions that had been deemed free of Hamas raises questions about the government's plan to destroy the organization.

In the vicinity of Jabalia, close to Gaza City, where Israel claims Hamas has started trying to reorganize, fighting has notably flared up again. Israeli tanks and soldiers advanced farther into the neighborhood on Saturday. According to Palestinian doctors, one of the Israeli attacks resulted in fifteen fatalities and several injuries.

According to reports, Mr. Halevi said that the military would have to fight the organization repeatedly in order to hold it at bay if there isn't a diplomatic procedure to create a government apart from Hamas.

Mr. Gantz suggested a Palestinian, Arab, European, and American administration to oversee civilian matters in Gaza while laying the groundwork for a potential future alternative government.

Furthermore, he said that Israel may continue to exercise some "security control" in the meantime.

Israeli officials had already ordered inhabitants from other parts of Gaza to evacuate to the southern city of Rafah, but last week, Israel began an operation there, claiming it was necessary to target Hamas' final bastions.

Since the operation began, there has been a growing worry over the safety of civilians. According to Philippe Lazzarini, the chairman of UNRWA, nearly 800,000 people have been displaced once again.

"Ever since the war in Gaza began, Palestinians have been forced to flee on various occasions in search of safety that they themselves have never found," he said.

"When individuals migrate, they are left vulnerable and without a secure route or defense. Each time, they are compelled to abandon the little possessions they own, including beds, tents, kitchenware, and necessities that they are unable to move themselves or afford.

It is untrue to say that Gazans may relocate to "safe" or "humanitarian" zones. Every time, it poses a major danger to civilian life."

Israel said late on Saturday that armed groups had launched rockets toward Israel, and it also issued further orders for the evacuation of some areas of northern Gaza.

Israel's "brutal raids" on Jabalia, according to Hamas, have resulted in the deaths of dozens of people and hundreds of injuries.