Israel says its army to remain in Gaza in ‘any temporary or permanent situation’

“Unlike in the past, the (Israeli army) is not evacuating areas that have been cleared and seized,” Katz said in a statement.

The army “will remain in the security zones as a buffer between the enemy and (Israeli) communities in any temporary or permanent situation in Gaza – as in Lebanon and Syria.”

The Israeli minister admitted that his army has displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023, and has expanded areas it controls inside the Palestinian enclave ever since.

“Israel’s policy is clear: no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza, and blocking this aid is one of the main pressure levers preventing Hamas from using it as a tool with the population,” he said.

Since March 2, Israel has closed Gaza’s crossings, blocking essential supplies from entering the enclave.

The Israeli army also renewed a deadly assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

At least 51,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.