Jerusalem, Dec 29 (UNI) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled a war cabinet meeting that was expected to discuss Israel’s plan for the Gaza Strip’s post-war governance, The Times of Israel newspaper reported.
The war cabinet was expected to meet on Thursday. The fact that it has consistently ignored the issue of the Gaza Strip’s post-war governance at its meetings has reportedly caused concerns in the United States, where officials believe that Israel’s failure to clearly map out the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave’s political future risks resulting in the indefinite prolonging of hostilities.
Netanyahu’s decision to cancel the meeting could have been influenced by his far-right coalition partners, who have rejected any possibility of the Gaza Strip going under the control of the Palestinian Authority, the newspaper wrote.
On October 7, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip while its fighters breached the border, opening fire on the military and civilians. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed, and some 240 others were abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and launched a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 21,300 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes, local authorities said.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1.
