No decision yet on military rule in Gaza, says Israel's foreign minister

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has said that no decision has yet been taken on the military occupation of Gaza Strip.

After decades of occupation, Israel vacated Gaza in 2005. But there are indications that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could use the ongoing war with Hamas an excuse to not just occupy the enclave but also annex it. He is expected to find support in the move by US President Donald Trump.

At a press conference with European foreign affairs head Kaja Kallas, Sa’ar on Monday said that the question of occupation “has not yet been decided by our cabinet”, according to The Times of Israel.

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Separately, the newspaper reported an Israeli official as saying that Netanyahu’s government had not yet decided what will happen “on the civilian side” in Gaza.

The development come at a time when there is increased chatter in Israel about the occupation of Gaza. In the clearest remarks about the possible occupation and even annexation of Gaza, Defence Minister Israel Katz said last week that Gaza would be annexed if Hamas would not release hostages.

“I ordered the IDF to seize more territory in Gaza. The more Hamas sticks to its refusal to release the hostages, the more territory it would lose, territory which would be annexed to Israel,” said Katz.

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After winning the Israel-Arab War of 1967, Israel occupied Gaza and vacated it only in 2005. It never vacaded West Bank that it continued to occupy and rule with military rule. Together, Gaza and West Bank form the envisioned Palestinian state for Arabs. However, under plans being floated by Israel and US President Donald Trump, the Palestinian state appears unlikely.

Trump has said that the United States would take over Gaza and expel all Palestinians from the strip in what would amount to state-sponsored ethnic cleansing. Once the strip has been cleared, he said the United States would develop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

Later this week, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will visit the United States to discuss with senior US officials a plan for Israeli military control over Gaza, according to The Times of Israel.