Katz boasts about Gaza's destruction and announces a plan to establish military outposts in the northern Strip

Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, expressed his pride in the extensive destruction inflicted by military operations in the northern Gaza Strip, describing the scenes he witnessed during a field tour as giving him a sense of satisfaction. Katz affirmed in press statements that this devastation is not random, but rather the result of a systematic and deliberate policy aimed at fundamentally changing the security reality in the region.\n\nKatz revealed a new strategic direction involving the establishment of three military-style settlement outposts, known as 'Nahal cores,' in the locations that existed before the Israeli withdrawal from the Strip in 2005. This step, according to the minister, aims to enshrine a permanent Jewish presence in northern Gaza to ensure security control and prevent the return of military threats from those areas.\n\nIn response to questions about his feelings towards the rubble of Palestinian homes, Katz answered without hesitation that it brings a sense of relief, claiming that the destruction of residential blocks was necessary to remove what he described as 'saboteurs.' He explained that the Israeli army has shifted from a strategy of quick raids to permanent presence inside, considering the transformation of homes into rubble an essential part of this vision.\n\n'Nahal cores,' which Katz intends to plant in Gaza, are youth groups that combine military service with settlement work, and they are the historical tool Israel has used to establish settlements that later turn into civilian towns. The Defense Minister claimed that this step is necessary to enhance the defense of Israeli towns surrounding the Strip and provide new security depth for forces operating on the ground.\n\nThese statements come at a time when reports are increasing about the Israeli right's endeavor to impose a new settlement reality in Gaza, exploiting the current field conditions. Israeli media sources have described Katz's announcement as representing a strategic goal that goes beyond the declared objectives of the war, indicating a clear intention to re-occupy parts of the Strip permanently.\n\nOn the ground, data indicates the continuation of Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on October 10, 2025. Medical sources reported that continuous breaches resulted in hundreds of casualties, including martyrs and wounded, amid the occupation's insistence on continuing its military operations and destroying the remaining infrastructure in the northern areas.\n\nAccording to the latest statistics issued by the Ministry of Health, the number of victims of Israeli breaches since the agreement came into effect has reached about 1108 martyrs, in addition to more than 3500 Palestinians injured to varying degrees. These figures, along with Katz's statements, reflect the extent of Israeli insistence on proceeding with the scorched-earth policy despite the declared international understandings.\n\n"Seeing this destruction gives me a good feeling, and it is the result of a deliberate policy aimed at completely removing threats."\n