What will happen after the fighting in Gaza has stopped?

2023-11-14 17:16:36, Blog CNA

As calls for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza have increased, Israelis are beginning to think about what will happen after the fighting is over. As VOA correspondent Linda Gradstein reports, members of communities along the border with Gaza say they would like to return to their homes, but only if they felt safe.

Kibbutz "Kfar Aza" and most of the Israeli communities on the border with Gaza have turned into ghost towns since October 7, when Hamas militants destroyed houses, killed about 1,200 Israelis and took about 240 people hostage in Gaza.

Israel evacuated about 200,000 residents of areas near Gaza and housed them in hotels and temporary housing. Most of the residents of these communities say they want to return to their homes, but only if they make sure that what happened on October 7 will never happen again.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the only way to ensure the safety of Israeli citizens is to completely destroy Hamas and then Israel to keep the security situation in Gaza under control.

"Gaza will be demilitarized and there will no longer be a threat from the Gaza Strip to the State of Israel. And in order to make sure that there will be no such threat, the Israel Defense Forces will continue to keep security in the Gaza Strip under control to prevent terror that could come from there," Prime Minister Netanyahu said .

As the civilian death toll mounts, pressure is mounting on Israel from its main ally, the United States, to do more to ease the worsening humanitarian crisis.

"Many Palestinians have been killed, many have suffered in recent weeks, and we want to do everything possible to avoid harm to them and maximize the assistance they receive ," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Although Israeli leaders are not against humanitarian aid to Gaza, they say there can be no ceasefire as long as Hamas continues to hold 240 people hostage. This is also a request of the families of the hostages and thousands of Israelis who support them. Analysts say the ceasefire would be a strategic mistake.

"A cease-fire for Israel simply means that Hamas wins, that it gets away with impunity for mass murder, and that Israel loses. We will not be able to restore security in our territory, nor will we be able to restore our deterrent role in the region. Our enemies will realize that every time they hit us and we start to defend ourselves, the international community will tie our hands with a cease-fire ," says Michael Oren, Israel's former ambassador to the United States.

But at some point the fighting will stop and someone will have to lead the rebuilding of Gaza and the administration of its 2.3 million residents.

The United States believes that the Palestinian Authority, which now governs the West Bank, will eventually take over Gaza. But observers say the Palestinian Authority is seen as weak and corrupt by most Palestinians. Even Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is against the management of Gaza by the Palestinian Authority.

Analysts say a temporary solution could be reached through some sort of international governing authority.

"It will take time until a strong sovereignty is created on the ground, a local government. Since Israel says it does not want to govern the Gaza Strip, it does not want to stay in the Gaza Strip. The international community, the United States do not see a future in the reoccupation of Gaza. So, at the end of the day, the Gaza Strip will have to be governed by the Palestinians, but it will take time to create, encourage, or support the establishment of a local government structure in the Gaza Strip," says Avi Melamed, analyst . for security in the Middle East.

For now, fierce fighting continues in Gaza, while casualties continue to increase on both sides and with no end in sight./ VOA