ISRAEL'S defence minister has said troops will remain in so-called security zones in Gaza indefinitely.
Israel Katz said Israeli forces “will remain in the security zones as a buffer between the enemy and (Israeli) communities in any temporary or permanent situation in Gaza”.
The military will remain in these “security zones” in any temporary or permanent situation in Gaza – “as in Lebanon and Syria”, Katz added.
Israeli forces have taken over large areas of Gaza in recent weeks in a renewed campaign to pressure Hamas to release hostages after Israel ended their ceasefire last month.
Israel has also refused to withdraw from some areas in Lebanon following a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group last year, and it seized a buffer zone in southern Syria after the overthrow of President Bashar Assad.
Israel says it must maintain control of such territories to prevent a repeat of the Hamas attack that triggered the latest conflict.
Fifty-nine hostages are still inside Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 51,000 people, according to an updated toll released by Gaza’s Health Ministry on Tuesday.
That includes more than 1600 people killed since Israel ended a ceasefire and resumed its offensive last month to pressure Hamas to accept changes to the agreement.
In early April Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel is establishing a new "security corridor" across Gaza, as the country said it planned to seize large areas of the Palestinian territory.
During a visit to Washington, Netanyahu told reporters in the White House that he and Donald Trump discussed the US president's "bold vision" to resettle much of Palestine's population, which the Israeli leader has previously referred to as “voluntary emigration” but is actually a clear case of ethnic cleansing.
Palestinians have rejected Trump’s proposal to resettle much of its population elsewhere, viewing it as expulsion from their homeland after Israel’s offensive left much of it uninhabitable, and human rights experts say implementing the plan would be likely to violate international law.
More to follow ...
