Israel has a plan for Gaza—and unsurprisingly, it’s not altogether popular.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a moderate member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, floated a proposal for post-war Gaza in recent days, in the face of growing calls to avoid civilian casualties in the war and move beyond bombardment and blockade of the enclave.
But the proposal is filled with stumbling blocks that are already giving Western leaders pause over what the future holds for war-torn Gaza, which Israel has been attacking ever since Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on Israel.
The proposal also lacks concrete details for how Israel would achieve its vision; it contains several bullet points of overarching goals that lack specific plans of action, and leaves several key unanswered questions.
Gallant’s proposal recommends a U.S.-led multinational task force to handle reconstruction in Gaza, and would have Palestinians without connections to Hamas handle civilian affairs, according to a memo obtained by The Daily Beast. The pitch presumes that Israel has been able to defeat Hamas in Gaza.
The proposal is clear in stating that there will be no Israeli civilian presence in Gaza post-war, but notes that Israel will “reserve its operational freedom of action in the Gaza Strip.” Israel has said it does not want a permanent occupation of Gaza…
Shannon Vavra is a national security reporter for The Daily Beast covering the politics of war, national security, hacking, disinformation, and espionage. She previously worked at Axios and CyberScoop, where she covered the NSA, Cyber Command, and cyber-espionage. She received her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University in international relations with a specialty in Europe and the former Soviet Union.
This article was originally published on The Daily Beast and partially republished here, with permission.
