Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must state clearly that Israel will not rule over Gaza after the war. Netanyahu said earlier that there was no sense to discussing the day after the war calling such talk "Empty words as long as Hamas rules Gaza"
Gallant said a military rule would be "a bad alternative, which is strategically dangerous for Israel." he called on Netanyahu to declare that Israel will not have civilian or military control in the Gaza Strip. "We must make difficult decisions in favor of the national consideration, even if this involves personal and political costs," he said.
"We must eliminate Hamas's rule. Without an alternative, only bad choices remain, an Israeli military-civilian government or Hamas rule."
The defense minister claimed that the defense establishment presented a plan that Netanyahu refused to discuss. "Since October, I have been raising the issues in the cabinet without a response," he said. "The day after the war will only be achieved by Palestinian control with international support, serving as an alternative to Hamas. This is an Israeli national interest. No decision is also a decision," the Defense Minister said.
"I am not willing to replace Hamas-ruled Gaza with Fatah-ruled Gaza. After the terrible massacre on October 7," Netanyahu said in response to Gallant's comments. "I ordered the destruction of Hamas. The soldiers of the IDF and the security forces are fighting to achieve this goal. As long as Hamas remains intact, no other party will step in to manage Gaza, certainly not the Palestinian Authority. About 80% of the Palestinians in the West Bank support the terrible massacre of October 7. The Palestinian Authority supports and finances terrorism. Therefore, the first condition to prepare the ground for another party is to eliminate Hamas and do it without excuses," he said.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Netanyahu should oust Gallant from his ministerial position. "The Defense Minister declared his support for a terror state