Israel will never fully withdraw from Gaza, defence minister says

Israel Katz says military units will be established inside the Palestinian enclave, in contravention of the truce agreement.Published On 23 Dec 2025Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said the Israeli military will never fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip and that an army unit will be established inside the Palestinian enclave.Speaking on Tuesday, Katz said Israeli forces would remain deployed throughout Gaza, despite a United States-backed peace plan signed by Israel and Hamas in October that calls for a full Israeli military withdrawal and rules out the re-establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the territory.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Why is Russia escalating attacks on Ukraine’s Odesa?list 2 of 4Scorching the Monk Forest: Israel’s ecocide in southern Lebanonlist 3 of 4Backlash after CBS pulls 60 Minutes report on Salvadoran mega-prisonlist 4 of 4Trump, Mamdani merchandise compete for Christmas shoppersend of list“We are located deep inside Gaza, and we will never leave all of Gaza,” Katz said. “We are there to protect.”“In due course, we will establish Nahal [an Israeli infantry brigade] outposts in northern Gaza in place of the settlements that were uprooted,” Katz added, according to Israeli media.Hours later, he issued a statement in English to the Reuters news agency, saying Nahal units would be stationed in Gaza “only for security reasons”. The Israeli media reported that US officials were displeased with Katz’s initial comments and demanded clarification.Nahal units are military formations that combine civilian service with army enlistment and have historically played a role in the creation of Israeli communities.Katz was speaking at a ceremony in the occupied West Bank marking the approval of 1,200 housing units in the illegal Israeli settlement of Beit El.Addressing settlement expansion in the West Bank, Katz said: “Netanyahu’s government is a settlements government … it strives for action. If we can get sovereignty, we will bring about sovereignty. We are in the practical sovereignty era.”