Israel will keep its military presence in newly created security zones in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria indefinitely, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday, a declaration that appears to dash hopes for a ceasefire with Hamas and complicates negotiations for the release of remaining hostages.
"Unlike in the past, the IDF is not evacuating areas that have been cleared and seized," Katz stated. "The IDF 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's remarks follow weeks of intensified operations in Gaza, where Israeli forces now control more than half of the territory, including a 20% strip in the south stretching from Rafah to the Mediterranean. Israel has similarly refused to withdraw from buffer zones in southern Lebanon and seized areas in Syria's Golan Heights following rebel activity.
Palestinian authorities said Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed 22 people in Gaza, including a girl under one year old. The child's mother, injured in the attack, was filmed cradling her daughter's body in a blood-stained dress. The family had fled from Rafah to Khan Younis before the strike. "Wherever you go, death will catch up with you," her grandfather, Nashat, said.
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, more than 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in the offensive, with women and children comprising over half the reported fatalities. Israel contends it has killed some 20,000 militants but has not publicly provided evidence.
The United Nations and humanitarian groups have raised alarm over Israel's deepening occupation of Gaza. Médecins Sans Frontières described the enclave as a "mass grave" and said forced displacement was ongoing. "We are witnessing in real time the destruction and forced displacement of the entire population in Gaza," said MSF emergency coordinator Amande Bazerolle.
Palestinian medical officials said an airstrike killed 10 people in Gaza City on Wednesday, including writer and photographer Fatema Hassouna. Another strike in the north killed three.
Katz reiterated that Israel is blocking humanitarian aid until it completes infrastructure to enable commercial distribution later. He also said Israel would facilitate voluntary emigration from Gaza but offered no details on destination countries.
The Defense Ministry's insistence on military permanence came as talks brokered by Egypt stalled. Hamas reiterated that it will not release hostages without a full Israeli withdrawal and ceasefire. "Any truce lacking real guarantees for halting the war, achieving full withdrawal, lifting the blockade, and beginning reconstruction will be a political trap," Hamas said.
The main group representing the hostages' families condemned Israel's strategy. "They promised that the hostages come first. In practice, Israel is choosing to seize territory before the hostages," it said in a statement.
Since March 18, more than 400,000 Palestinians have been displaced, according to the U.N. Israel says its campaign was launched in response to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in 251 hostages being taken.
