Israel will never fully withdraw from Gaza, defence minister says

Israel Katz, the country’s defense minister, has stated that the Israeli military will never leave the Gaza Strip completely, and that an army base will be established there.

Katz stated on Tuesday that Israeli forces would remain stationed throughout Gaza in spite of an Israeli-backed peace agreement that Israel and Hamas signed in October and prevents the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements there.

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Katz remarked, “We are located deep inside Gaza, and we will never leave it all.” “We are protecting,” the statement read.

According to Israeli media, Katz further stated that “in due course, we will establish Nahal [an Israeli infantry brigade] outposts in northern Gaza in place of the uprooted settlements.”

He later told the Reuters news agency in English that Nahal units would be stationed in Gaza “only for security reasons.” Katz’s initial comments reportedly sparked the ire of Israeli media, who demanded clarification.

Nahal units, which combine military enlistment with civilian service, have historically contributed to the formation of Israeli communities.

Katz was speaking at a ceremony in Beit El, an illegal Israeli settlement, to announce the approval of 1, 200 housing units in the occupied West Bank.

Katz defended the West Bank’s expansion of settlements as a “statement-making government” (Statement). We will establish sovereignty if we can. We are in the “practical sovereignty era.”

He continued, “There are opportunities here that haven’t been there for a while.”

In 2026, Israel is expected to hold an election year, with the expansion of illegal settlements a significant political issue. The coalition’s ultranationalist and far-right members have repeatedly stated their intention to retake Gaza and expand illegal settlements in the West Bank.

All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are prohibited by international law. According to the International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute, an occupying power’s civilian population moving into occupied territory qualifies as a war crime.

Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces and settlers continue to rapturate the West Bank, and there are still killings in Gaza. According to Palestinian officials, over 1,100 Palestinians have been killed, about 11, 000 have been wounded, and over 21, 000 have been detained.