Document reveals Israeli post-war plan to impose military rule in Gaza

CAIRO – 17 May 2024: An Israeli Ministry of National Security document revealed Israel’s plan to impose military rule in Gaza, suggesting implementing military rule in Gaza post-war would necessitate deploying five units of the occupying army, Ynet reported on Friday.

The document said that it necessitates the transfer of soldiers from the northern and central parts of the besieged strip, besides a substantial increase in reserve forces.

The document also highlighted the exorbitant costs associated with such an endeavor, potentially straining the financial resources of Israel beyond its capacity to manage.

According to the document, the operational cost of implementing this military rule is estimated at approximately 20 billion shekels annually (with $1 equating to roughly 3.7 Israeli shekels).

The estimated cost of constructing an additional corridor is approximately 150 million shekels. It's worth noting that this figure does not encompass all the expenses associated with administering the military government.

These amounts also do not encompass the costs of reconstructing the sector, which would entail expenses for infrastructure, hospitals, schools, roads, as well as establishing the infrastructure necessary for the military government, among other expenditures.

Militarily, four offensive military units and one defensive unit will be needed to impose military rule in Gaza. Transferring soldiers to the sector will require reducing the number of battalions in the northern and central command areas, in addition to a significant increase in the size of reserve forces on the operational side.

Differences arose between Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the post-war governing of Gaza as the first warned the latter of the dangerous of this matter.

On Wednesday, Gallant stated his opposition to Israeli military control or assuming responsibility for governing Gaza, Al Jazeera reported. Gallant called upon Netanyahu to announce that Israel will not take civilian control of the Gaza Strip and to find an alternative to Hamas.

Gallant continued that he would oppose any Israeli military rule in the Gaza Strip because it will be bloody, costly, and will last for years.