During a visit to eastern Gaza on Tuesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the main objectives of the war remain the defeat of Hamas and the creation of conditions for the return of the hostages. "We must take all necessary actions to achieve these goals," he said.
Following the visit and prior consultations with the IDF General Staff, Katz said he had formulated his position on the next steps Israel should take – both militarily and politically – and would present it to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the security cabinet later in the day.
Katz emphasized the importance of maintaining a permanent IDF presence in a "security buffer zone" in strategic areas of Gaza to prevent future attacks on Israeli communities and arms smuggling into the Strip.
"This is the main lesson of October 7," Katz said. "As in other sectors, here too the IDF must stand between the enemy and our communities – not only to fight the enemy, but to separate it from our civilians."
He added that once political decisions are made, the military would be expected to implement them professionally. "My role, as the defense minister in charge of the IDF, is to ensure that happens – and that is exactly what I will do."
