Palestinians will govern the Gaza Strip after the war with Israel ends, Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday.
"Palestinians live in Gaza and therefore Palestinians will govern it in the future. The future Gaza government must grow out of the Gaza Strip," Gallant said at a press conference.
"At the end of the war there won't be a military threat from Gaza. Hamas won't be able to rule and function as a military force in the Gaza Strip."
He said the future government would be a "civilian alternative" but insisted that Israeli forces would have the "freedom of operation" in a way aimed at protecting Israeli citizens.
"In the south of the Gaza Strip [the intensive phase] will end soon," Gallant added, without giving an exact timeline.
He said the army will carry out low-intensified operations in northern Gaza, adding that Israeli forces are working to locate the remaining Hamas sites in the area.
Israel has launched a deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, killing at least 24,100 people and injuring 60,834 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.
The offensive has left 85% of Gaza's population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
