Israeli troops will remain in Gaza 'security zones' after war, minister says

[Eugene]

Source: BBC

Israeli troops will remain in Gaza 'security zones' after war, minister says

16 April 2025

David Gritten
BBC News

Israel's defence minister has said troops will remain in so-called security zones they have established by seizing large areas of Gaza even after an end to the war.

Israel Katz said the zones would provide a "buffer" to protect Israeli communities "in any temporary or permanent situation", and that "tens of per cent" of the Palestinian territory had been added since the Israeli offensive resumed three weeks ago.

Israel would continue its six-week blockade of humanitarian aid to pressure Hamas to release hostages, he said, despite the UN warning of "devastating" consequences.

On Wednesday Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) became the latest international organisation to sound alarm at the impact of Israel's campaign, saying that Gaza had been "turned into a mass grave of Palestinians and those coming to their assistance".

-snip-

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g2775v853o

[Beastly Boy]

1. For context, a day ago:

Hamas said to reject Israeli proposal that it disarm as part of 6-week ceasefire

Hamas has turned down an Israeli offer for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip under which the terror group would have been required to disarm, according to a Tuesday report.

According to the BBC, Israel is demanding the release of half of the remaining living hostages in exchange for a six-week truce and Hamas’s disarmament.

“The Israeli proposal relayed to the movement through Egypt explicitly called for the disarmament of Hamas without any Israeli commitment to end the war or withdraw from Gaza. Hamas therefore rejected the offer in its entirety,” an official in the terror group was quoted as saying.

Israel has repeatedly demanded that Hamas relinquish civilian and security control of Gaza, while the terror group insists that any ceasefire deal must end the war and achieve a full Israeli pull-out from the enclave.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-said-to-reject-israeli-proposal-that-it-disarm-for-6-week-ceasefire/