Gaza remains a frontline of bombardments, deaths, and widespread destruction. As the Israeli military continues its operations in the Palestinian enclave, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled a blueprint for a postwar Gaza. Four and a half months after the conflict with Hamas began, which has claimed nearly 30,000 lives in the Strip, the leader has brought his plan to the war cabinet for approval. The proposal centers on a full demilitarization and the termination of UNRWA, the United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, which has administered a large portion of civil services in Gaza. At the same time, families of Israeli hostages in Gaza have reason for cautious optimism as Netanyahu agreed to send a delegation to Paris to discuss a possible ceasefire that could enable their release.
Netanyahu waited four and a half months to present a long‑term vision for a postwar Gaza. Despite intense domestic and international pressure, he had resisted calls to reveal a plan for the “day after.” Beyond the short-term aims already well known—freeing hostages, dismantling Hamas and Islamic Jihad capabilities, and eliminating any threat to Israel from Gaza—new long‑ and mid‑term objectives appear in a document released by the prime minister’s office. Mid‑term plans include preserving freedom of military action in Gaza, creating a buffer zone, and taking part in efforts to curb cross‑border smuggling along the Egypt–Gaza frontier.
According to the prime minister, all of this would be pursued jointly and with American support. Israel would retain security control over the occupied West Bank. Civic affairs and public order in Gaza would be managed by experienced professionals who do not identify with or receive salaries from states or organizations that support terrorism. Reconstruction in Gaza would only proceed after the Strip is demilitarized and after a process of de‑radicalization begins, he said, reiterating plans to ensure the permanent closure of UNRWA and the creation of a new international body. He also rejected any recognition of a Palestinian state or a final-status agreement with the Palestinians.
H2 heading alternates to a focus on severe hunger
The cabinet authorized the dispatch of a delegation to Paris after Hamas signaled potential concessions on Thursday. This Friday, a group of Israelis arrived in the French capital to engage in high‑level discussions aimed at a possible ceasefire that could pave the way for the hostages’ release in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a halt to hostilities in Gaza. The decision received unanimous support from the war cabinet following a visit by a senior White House official, Brett McGurk, to Israel, where he met Netanyahu and other negotiators. Egypt, Qatar, the United States, Israel, and Hamas are taking part in discussions intended to stop what has become one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent memory.
In the last 24 hours, Israeli strikes in central and southern Gaza have killed well over a hundred Palestinians. amid a humanitarian crisis described as unprecedented in Gaza, UNRWA reported a funding crisis caused by donor suspensions amid allegations, still unproven, that some of its workers participated in Hamas’s October 7 attack. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that about half a million people in the north are facing severe hunger, including 350,000 patients with chronic conditions, 60,000 pregnant women, and 700,000 children suffering malnutrition and dehydration. Humanitarian aid reaching the north remains critically limited.
The Israeli occupation of the West Bank continues, with no apparent obstacles. After an attack in the Ma’ale Adumim settlement near Jerusalem that killed one person, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich approved construction of about 3,000 housing units in several nearby settlements. He called it a “sonist ideological response” to attacks by Palestinians, a remark later criticized by several international figures. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized the expansion of settlements during a visit to Argentina, noting that settlements are illegal under international law and hinder prospects for a negotiated peace. Meanwhile, the UN’s top court continues hearing arguments from more than 50 states regarding a non‑binding opinion on the legality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.