The Israeli government has on its table a proposal on creating a new entity from scratch in Gaza after it defeats Hamas, a document seen by Euronews dated December 2023 reveals. The proposal, in the form of a 32-page academic paper titled "Gaza Security and Recovery Program, How Should The Day After Look Like," was authored by the Israel Defense and Security Forum — a group of over 35,000 Israeli security force reservists — and the well-established think tank Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. The study was presented to the Israeli government at an unknown date between its creation and now, and represents one of the future options currently under consideration by Israel for the Gaza Strip, according to officials who talked to Euronews. The proposal depicts what "the day after" should look like in the scenario of the fall of Hamas. It entails economic reconstruction, building infrastructure and, as the authors of the study say, "uprooting a murderous ideology," also labeled as a process of "de-nazification". "In order to prepare for the new state of affairs, even though the results of the military operation have not yet been achieved, it is necessary to prepare an orderly plan for the control of the Gaza Strip after the fall of Hamas," the document reads. The plan explicitly excludes the sovereignty of Palestine, or more specifically the Palestinian Authority (PA), or the presence of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as a source for humanitarian aid. "No less serious is the foolhardy idea of establishing a Palestinian state in Gaza," the document reads. However, it is not said in the document whether Israel intends to annex the Strip, although it is clearly stated that Israeli Security Forces (IDF) want to have a greater say in the overall administration of Gaza's affairs. The document's authenticity was confirmed by one senior government official who talked to Euronews on the condition of anonymity to avoid interfering with the government's work, as well as Ohad Tal and Simcha Rothman, two Knesset members of the far-right National Religious Party, which is part of the ruling coalition. "The contents in this paper are part of the plans the government is looking at, they are on the table," the senior government official confirmed to Euronews. The official specified that it is not a "finalized plan," however, it is "definitely part of the scenarios that are on the table". "This plan is on the table and consistent with the direction the government is going," Tal confirmed. Rothman told Euronews that, while the plan remains a "moving target," the framework outlined criteria, such as "elimination of Hamas, no PA (Palestinian Authority) presence in Gaza, no Palestinian state, no UNWRA, (are) consistent with my approach and to the best of my knowledge, with the approach of the government." Euronews contacted the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for comment, but has not received a response by the time of publication. The paper says the new entity, initially managed by the IDF, should establish a new mechanism for reconstruction, economic development, aid management and "re-education" of Gaza's society. Some parts of the proposal obtained by Euronews and the Israeli government's actions announced at the beginning of May might be going in the same direction. On 5 May, the Israeli government gave the green light to the IDF to start a massive operation to take control of the whole Gaza. The decision came shortly after the military announced the mobilization of tens of thousands of reservists. On the same day, Netanyahu announced that further displacement of the 2.1 million Gaza residents has to be expected as a result of the massive ground operations that have started. The detailed study dates back to roughly two months after 7 October 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities at the border with Gaza, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage. The Israeli military says it has killed some 20,000 Hamas combatants, while also reporting around 3,000 dead and wounded among its soldiers. In the proposal, there is no reference to the Israeli hostages. Hamas' terrorist attack triggered the Israel-Hamas war in the Strip, in which 52,000 Palestinians lost their lives, according to the latest figures from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. However, two sources familiar with the document, who spoke to Euronews under the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the study's conception predates Hamas' 7 October attack, but it was imagined more for the West Bank, rather than for Gaza. The proposal is divided into three different stages, where the first two are considered the most important, where the Israelis are foreseen to extensively take over and manage the Strip, creating a new entity from scratch. Even though the document envisages a third, long-term stage in which there is space left for the self-determination of those residing in the Strip, it would happen only after a complete erasure of the current Hamas-run Gaza network is finalised. "It would be wrong to put the cart before the horse, and it would be similarly wrong to predetermine, for the Gazan population and its leadership its political future," since the focus for Israel is not Palestinians' self-determination but rather "ending Hamas rule," the document says. In the scenario of the fall of Hamas, the IDF would aim to temporarily take over the whole Gaza Strip, having free movement on the ground while obtaining complete control of the 12-kilometer border between Gaza and Egypt, including the Rafah crossing. The IDF has already partially done what is mentioned in the proposal, creating a buffer zone alongside some portions of the border. Since early April, the Israeli military has already taken control of roughly half of Gaza. To widen the buffer zone, the IDF systematically demolished all infrastructure, making the portion of the territory uninhabitable. A "buffer zone along the border with Israel" must be established, where the "Palestinian traffic will not be permitted," the document says. In this first stage, "It may be necessary to impose martial law", the document reads, with the IDF taking over all the civilian affairs, until a new "mechanism" is established. This period could last a few months up to a year, according to the study. In the second phase, the Israeli government would establish five administrative autonomous councils. The proposal suggests these should be called "Northern Gaza Strip, Gaza City, Central Gaza Strip, Khan Yunis and Rafah". The councils would be tasked with managing civilian life in Gaza after meeting certain preconditions, such as not being related to "terror-Palestinian factions", recognising the state of Israel and taking part in a re-educational plan also called the "de-nazification" process. Control over education is a key part of the study, according to which the councils are meant to have a "meaningful supervision" of what is happening not only in classrooms but also during extracurricular activities in which Israel would have greater say. Israel would also establish an International Managerial Directorate (IMD) for aid, reconstruction and supervision of the administrative councils. It would be formed not only by the Israeli government, which should be the major player, according to the document. In a significant and complex part of the proposal, the IMD would include the US, some European countries "such as Germany, France, the UK and Italy" as well as "pragmatic Sunni countries." In the document, Israel suggested it should make the IMD the only source of aid for the local administrative councils. The assistance, such as direct "aid money to economic growth and reconstruction of infrastructures" would be conditional on specific criteria, including the implementation of re-educational plans. "In any event, aid and reconstruction will be given in congruence with the principle of the plan and of the de-radicalization and denazification process in the education system, the media and society," says the document. Israel already publicly proposed to manage aid flow to Gaza, as detailed in the document obtained by Euronews. Since 2 March, aid flow has stopped for Gaza residents, creating a situation that the UN described as a catastrophe, since people are running out of food and water. In early April, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that "Gaza is a killing field, and civilians are in an endless death loop." The UN criticised the Israeli proposal to control humanitarian aid in Gaza by routing it through military-run hubs, warning it would endanger civilians and aid workers, cut off vulnerable populations from aid, and increase forced displacement. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas militants of abusing the aid influx for their personal gain and to further strengthen the group. In the proposal, the Israeli government was suggested it should put in place a blacklist of organizations that "must not receive aid," or cannot operate. The UN is one of the intergovernmental organizations which Israel does not want in the Gaza Strip. However, the document leaves open the possibility for the presence of the UN agency for refugees, UNHCR. The document says Israel should favor the deployment of a team modeled after the Multinational Force and Observers in Sinai, a peacekeeping organization established in 1982 with US support to monitor the demilitarisation of the Sinai Peninsula under the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty. Once the other phases are completed, a third phase in which the Palestinians can self-determine is presented as a possibility, even though it is not detailed in the proposal. "The proposed plan puts no actual obstacle before the Palestinians' ability to achieve self-determination once they recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people and abandon the path of terrorism," the document says. The study says it would be premature to decide Gaza's political future, as Israel's priority is ending Hamas' rule, not Palestinian self-determination. The European Union is the primary donor to the Palestinians and supports a future for Gaza under the leadership of a reformed PA and with the presence of UNRWA. The proposal heavily criticizes the European Union for its positions and says that it should not take part in the reconstruction. "There is no intention of including the European Union as a partner, but only a small number of European countries. We recommend including the countries that are most influential in Europe and that currently support Israel in its war against Hamas: countries such as Germany, France, the UK, and Italy," the study says. The document goes even further, saying that its implementation does not need international cooperation, although it might help. "This plan does not depend on recognition or international cooperation. Israel can carry out the plan in Gaza by itself, or with only a handful of partners and/or supporters. But broad recognition and cooperation would undeniably help the plan to succeed more quickly and efficiently," it states. — Euronews
