The Israeli occupation and the scenario of imposing a voluntary entity in Gaza

Since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip, the Prime Minister of the occupation government, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared that the goal was to eliminate the Hamas movement. However, Netanyahu and the Israeli occupation are fully aware that eliminating Hamas as an entity or as an idea is impossible. Rather, his main goal is to prolong the war as much as possible, while weakening the movement enough to reduce its influence on the ground, within the framework of a broader strategic plan.

The Israeli project is not limited to weakening Hamas, but extends to attempts to establish a voluntary entity in Gaza by imposing an administration that guarantees security and economic control under its direct supervision, and preventing the Palestinian Authority from regaining responsibility. This entity may be embodied through strict security arrangements, including monitoring the borders and tunnels, and imposing economic and humanitarian conditions aimed at creating a new reality that pushes the population to accept Israeli control. The project may also include the involvement of countries and international organizations to ensure the stability of the region under Israeli supervision, while allowing the presence of international or regional security forces on a temporary basis, with the aim of reducing international pressure on the occupation and strengthening its hegemony over Gaza, while marginalizing any local resistance or Palestinian political path that may threaten its interests.

This scenario is based on American and Israeli statements, including what was announced by US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who confirmed that Hamas will not regain control of Gaza in the future, and that there are broad outlines based on replacing the current structure with security or political structures supported by regional and international powers. It can be said that these plans are in line with the Israeli strategy aimed at maintaining security control in Gaza, and are consistent with Netanyahu’s “no’s” that reject both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in his plan for the future of the Strip.

In this context, Israel seeks to ensure that the Palestinian Authority does not regain its role in Gaza, as this would enable the Palestinians to build a united front that could threaten its interests. If the Palestinian Authority were to succeed in returning to Gaza, this would lead to the unification of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip under a single political framework, which Israel considers a direct threat to its existence. Therefore, the continuation of the Palestinian division between the West Bank and Gaza is a vital strategic tool for Israel, which seeks to strengthen this separation by weakening both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

In addition, the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza will eliminate any justification for the Israeli occupation to continue refusing to engage in a political process with the Palestinians, as the Palestinian leadership will become unified and capable of making strong political decisions. In this way, Israel will lose the pretext for not negotiating with the Palestinians, who will appear before the international community as a unified political party capable of representing their interests and rights.

In this context, Israel's decision to ban UNRWA and propose alternatives to this agency (most likely American) comes as part of Israel's broader strategy to influence the humanitarian and economic situation in Gaza. Israel will be able to control and dominate the Palestinian reality without having to face unified political or military resistance. This trend also reflects the United States' desire to reposition itself in the region, including UNRWA's locations in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, in the context of confronting Chinese and Russian influence in the region, and strengthening the Israeli occupation as the region's policeman in a manner that serves Israeli and American interests.

In light of these major challenges that will affect the Palestinian people and the entire Palestinian geography, there remains hope that the Palestinian forces will be able to unite under the banner of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, as national unity is an inevitable national necessity to thwart and extinguish the proposals promoted by authoritarian policies and agendas of control here and there. National unity remains the pivotal force in confronting the Israeli occupation, and it is the real guarantee for the future of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian national project.