Israeli Minister Vows Permanent Occupation of Buffer Zone Spanning Half of Gaza

Israel’s defense minister has pledged a permanent military occupation of the “buffer zone” that constitutes over half of Gaza and an indefinite continuation of the total aid blockade, vowing an escalation of Israel’s plans for the genocide as Israeli officials dubiously accuse Hamas of rejecting ceasefire deals.

In a statement on Wednesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the Israeli military is planning on maintaining its presence in the Gaza “buffer zone,” where Israeli forces have bulldozed everything in sight, instead of leaving after the damage is done — “unlike in the past,” Katz said. This includes the entirety of Rafah, which constitutes 20 percent of Gaza, the Netzarim corridor that Israel has used to split Gaza into northern and southern parts, and a wide swath of land around the entirety of Gaza’s border.

“The [Israel Defense Forces] will remain in the security zones as a buffer between the enemy and the communities in any temporary or permanent situation in Gaza — as in Lebanon and Syria,” Katz said.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli forces have created a “buffer zone” that Katz is also pledging to permanently occupy, despite the ceasefire agreement there. According to the UN, Israeli forces have killed at least 71 civilians in southern Lebanon since the ceasefire deal late last year. Meanwhile, in Syria, Israeli forces have expanded their operations after having seized land in southern Syria during the collapse of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.

Katz threatened to escalate Israel’s genocide with “tremendous force” if Hamas did not agree to Israel’s demands for a captive release deal.

In the latest ceasefire talks, Israel has demanded that Hamas disarm and that it release 10 Israeli captives, about half of those still believed to be alive in the Strip, in exchange for 1,400 Palestinian detainees. The “ceasefire” proposal is effectively a pause of Israel’s slaughter, as it would last only six weeks.

Hamas has rejected the deal, saying that disarming is a red line for ceasefire talks, while a ceasefire agreement must lead to a permanent end to the genocide and a withdrawal of Israeli troops — provisions that Israel had supposedly agreed to in the ceasefire framework for the deal reached in January, before Israeli authorities unilaterally ended the ceasefire last month and embarked on one of the most brutal phases of the genocide yet.

Katz also said that Israel will continue the total aid blockade on Gaza that it has been maintaining for six weeks now, which has already pushed Gaza back into horrific famine conditions and created dire shortages of basic medicines.

“Israel’s policy is clear and no humanitarian aid will be allowed into Gaza,” Katz said. He said that the aid blockade is crucial to their military goals — effectively admitting to weaponizing humanitarian aid — and added, “In the current reality, no one is going to allow any humanitarian aid into Gaza, and no preparations are being made to allow any aid of this kind.”

The aid blockade has made Gaza into a mass grave for the millions of Palestinians living there, Médecins Sans Frontières warned on Wednesday.

“Gaza has been turned into a mass grave of Palestinians and those coming to their assistance,” said MSF’s Gaza emergency coordinator, Amande Bazerolle. “We are witnessing in real time the destruction and forced displacement of the entire population in Gaza.”