A team from Israel’s Foreign Ministry has been working on a vision for Gaza in a post-war scenario, Israel’s Channel 12 reported yesterday, quoted by The times of Israel. This document, which is expected to be presented to the Council of Ministers, provides for “full freedom of action for the IDF” in Gaza and does not contain any specific provision for a role for the Palestinian Authority.
The work of this team, founded by Secretary of State Eli Cohen, has as its guiding principle that “Israel is working to create a future in which Palestinians govern themselves, without the ability to threaten Israel.”
According to The times of Israelthe document does not contain precise information about a future role for the Palestinian Authority, but does suggest a role for Fatah.
And in terms of security, the newspaper continues, citing Channel 12, this project provides “total freedom of action” for the Israeli forces in Gaza, preventing any rearmament and “imposing total demilitarization” in the enclave, establishment of “buffer zones” and surveillance of the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border and the Rafah crossing.
It also points out that countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates participate in the governance of civilian life, together with international organizations already active in Gaza, including UN agencies, and with “local elements not involved in Hamas are identified.”
This document was reported on the day that Israel’s Defense Minister announced that Gaza’s civilian population will be able to return to the northern areas as Israel gradually transitions to the next phase of its military operations. “I can tell you that we will soon be able to distinguish between different parts of Gaza,” Yoav Gallant said. This would, he added, allow Israel to begin working on the return of locals “perhaps sooner in the north” of Gaza than in the south. During a visit to Israel, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin affirmed that “US support for Israel’s security is steadfast and Israel is not alone.” Austin met with Gallant, as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Benjamin Netanyahu.
A ‘senseless conflict’
The Catholic Church, through the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, yesterday condemned what it called a “senseless conflict” after two women were “killed by Israeli snipers”, and called for an end to the war between Israel and Hamas.
An Israeli soldier reportedly killed two Christian women who were taking refuge in a religious complex in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Catholic authority in Israel. Earlier, the organization said an Israeli army “sniper” shot at them as they walked to a monastery in the Holy Family parish complex. Women Pope Francis identified as Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter Samar.
The patriarchate, which said several other people were injured, yesterday released a series of photos showing “serious damage to the structures” of the Catholic complex. The Israeli military has denied the allegations, but yesterday the United States raised concerns with Tel Aviv over reports that an Israeli gunman shot dead two women at a Christian complex in the Gaza Strip, the White House spokesman said.
Also yesterday, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health announced the death of a young Palestinian after Israeli army gunfire during a military operation in the northern West Bank. In Gaza, Hamas, which controls the enclave, announced the deaths of 110 people in Israeli bombardments in the north of the territory.
Ceasefire negotiations
Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met yesterday with the heads of the CIA and Mossad, and the agenda in Warsaw, Poland, was to discuss a potential new deal to secure the release of held Israeli hostages by Hamas. to guarantee. in Gaza, Axios reported.
However, a Palestinian source told the BBC that negotiations for a new temporary ceasefire “have not yet started,” despite “Israel’s repeated announcement that it is continuing the negotiation phases.” According to the BBC, Hamas told mediators that any negotiations “would not include discussion of new ceasefires, but rather a comprehensive ceasefire, and that there would be no negotiations on further humanitarian pauses.” Al Jazeera said yesterday that Hamas is open to “any initiative” regarding the exchange of prisoners from Qatar and Egypt, but that no talks will take place until the bombings are suspended.
According to Osama Hamdan, a senior official at the Islamist group, accusations that Hamas is responsible for thwarting a new ceasefire are “just adopting the lies of the occupation.”
Source: DN
