After the return of the remains of the last hostage, Israel is focused on the complete demilitarization of the Gaza Strip. There is no talk of creating a Palestinian state there, said the country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, DW reports.
Israel will not allow the creation of a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip, and the reconstruction of the region will not begin until the demilitarization and complete disarmament of the radical Islamist movement Hamas. This was stated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, January 27. He emphasized that Israel intends to maintain control over all territory from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, including the Gaza Strip.
"I already hear statements that we will allow the reconstruction of Gaza before demilitarization. That will not happen. I have heard that we are going to send Turkish and Qatari soldiers to Gaza. That will also not happen. I hear that I will allow the creation of a Palestinian state in Gaza. That has not happened and will not happen," Netanyahu was quoted as saying by The Times of Israel.
The Israeli Prime Minister emphasized that after the return on January 26 of the remains of the last hostage - 24-year-old Ran Gvili - Israel is focused on destroying Hamas's weaponry and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, which includes the destruction of militants' tunnels. According to Netanyahu, this will be achieved either simply or through complex means, but it will happen "in any case."
Escalation of the Conflict in the Middle East
The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated on October 7, 2023. The radical Islamist movement Hamas, recognized as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States, launched a large-scale attack on Israel. Militants carried out a massive rocket strike on Israel, invaded its territory, and committed the largest massacre of civilians in the history of the modern Israeli state, killing about 1,200 people. Militants also took about 250 hostages and transported them to the Gaza Strip. Some hostages were exchanged or released, while others perished.
In response, Israel declared war on Hamas. During the ground operation and bombings of the Gaza Strip, more than 71,000 Palestinians were killed, and about 170,000 were injured, claims the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health. However, it does not specify how this statistic is compiled, particularly how many Islamist militants were among the dead, and whether deaths of Palestinians in hospitals from natural causes are included.
Ceasefire and Trump's Peace Plan for Gaza
In October 2025, the authorities of Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire based on a peace plan developed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. The United States, Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt acted as guarantors of the agreements between Israel and the Hamas movement. During the first phase, Hamas militants returned all remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
In mid-January, the White House announced the beginning of the second phase of Trump's plan to end hostilities in the Gaza Strip. This phase is to establish a "Council for Peace" and an accountable National Committee, which will take over the governance of the region until the Palestinian National Authority is ready to assume this task.
Leave a comment