Hamas rejects Israel’s post-war plan for northern Gaza

The group insists that the future of the Gaza Strip should be determined solely by the Palestinian people.

Hamas said on Tuesday that Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi's talk about a "post-war day plan" in northern Gaza will not find a way to be implemented.

In a statement sent to Xinhua, Hamas emphasized that Hanegbi's discussion on Gaza's "post-war future" and his plan reflect the Israeli government's insistence on "a futile path."

The future of the Gaza Strip should be determined by the Palestinian people alone, said the statement, adding that "its resistance will cut off any hand of occupation attempting to interfere in the fate of our people and its future."

"The post-war day plan for Hamas has been prepared in recent weeks, and we will soon see a practical expression of this step," Hanegbi said earlier in the day at a conference at the Reichman University in Herzliya.

He claimed that establishing an alternative to replace Hamas is essential for achieving long-term victory, noting that the alternative should be a government that relies on local populations who wish to live alongside Israel and gains support from moderate Arab states.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 others were taken hostage. The total Palestinian death toll in Gaza from the conflict climbed to 37,658 on Tuesday.