The Israeli military is to stay in Gaza for a long time, says Avi Dichter, Israel’s minister for food security and a member of the security cabinet. The announcement comes as the US works to put in place a ceasefire in Gaza after the successful brokering of a truce between Hezbollah and Israel. Dichter said that even in the case of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, the military deployment may not change much. “I think that we are going to stay in Gaza for a long time. Most people realize that [Israel] will be in a situation similar to that of the West Bank, where forces go in and out, possibly remaining along the Netzarim corridor,” he said.
He emphasized that the continued presence of the Israeli military is an important way to prevent new members from joining Hamas, as well as to assist in transporting food and assistance into the area. Reports coming from The Guardian, a number of eyewitnesses have detailed that the Israeli military is building vast infrastructure in Gaza; this infrastructure includes a vast network of large camps and roads where huge areas in northern and central Gaza have been covered.
A recently discharged officer revealed that much of the last 70 days was spent demolishing homes to clear land for new military bases in the Netzarim corridor, a militarized area stretching from the Mediterranean coast to Gaza’s eastern edge. “That was the only mission. There wasn’t a single construction left which was taller than my waist in the entire corridor, with the exception of our bases and observation towers, of course,” he said.
As far as post-war governance goes, Israel has hinted at a proposal to govern Gaza in cooperation with strong local families. The suggestion is to have an alternate civil administration composed of local Palestinian leaders who are not part of the current power structures and who would be ready to cooperate with Israel. But negotiations with strong-family leaders in Gaza indicate these prospective candidates are not ready to play ball, so there is doubt about whether such an approach would be effective.