The Minister of the Occupation Army, Yisrael Katz, confirmed that the army is working to accelerate the establishment of an office for "voluntary immigration" from the Gaza Strip, in statements he made during a conference of heads of local councils, on Thursday.

"We are working to accelerate the establishment of an office for voluntary emigration, and we will open the way for those wishing to leave Gaza via the Ashdod port or Ramon Airport," Katz said. This comes 10 days after Katz instructed the establishment of the department, which will include representatives from ministries other than the Defense Ministry, and security establishment bodies.

The “voluntary migration” that the Israelis are talking about is providing assistance to those who want to leave the Gaza Strip, while Israel has destroyed the infrastructure, educational and health institutions, and UNRWA facilities over the course of 15 months of the war on Gaza, and continues to refuse reconstruction and prevents the entry of mobile homes and tents, with the aim of pushing Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip.

Katz stressed that “Hamas will not be allowed to continue to control Gaza, either on the civilian or military level,” indicating that he asked the leaders of the military apparatuses, including the commander of Unit 8200 and the commander of the Southern Command in the army, about their most important conclusions after October 7, and they supported that “we cannot allow the presence of armed organizations of this type near Israel’s borders, whether in Gaza or the north (south Lebanon) and Syria, and even around the settlements in the West Bank.”

Regarding the situation in the West Bank, Katz said: “The settlements in the West Bank are the first line of defense for the residents of Israel, and we must ensure their protection. We have found that Hamas planned to carry out attacks before October 7, not only in the West Bank settlements, but also around the seam line, and we have detected several cases that prove this, and we are working to deal with them according to new policies.”

Katz added that the "basic infrastructure" of the resistance in the West Bank is concentrated in the refugee camps, "where Iran supports these factions with weapons, funding and guidance," he claimed, indicating that he ordered the army to continue operations in Jenin and Tulkarm "with the aim of dismantling this infrastructure and eliminating the ongoing threats."

He pointed out that "Jenin camp has become almost empty of residents," while the Israeli army continues to deploy in the camp, and will not leave it "before at least a year has passed, which gives the forces freedom of movement without the need to repeat operations intermittently," he said.

Katz touched on the situation in southern Syria, saying: “We made clear decisions to prevent Iran from strengthening its military influence there, and we sent clear messages to all relevant parties that any attempt to strengthen armed militias will be met with a decisive military response.”

Katz claimed that there were "attempts to take control of strategic sites there, but we will not allow that to happen," noting that the Israeli Air Force carried out strikes targeting these attempts, "and our policy is clear: Violation of the buffer zone in southern Syria will not be allowed."

Katz reiterated Netanyahu's statements that "Israel seeks to maintain contact with them, and is examining the possibility of allowing those in close proximity to operate in the Golan Heights on a daily basis, while providing support through the appropriate channels."

Katz also stressed that Israel's presence in the buffer zone in Lebanon is not linked to a period of time, but rather to the security situation, "and we have received US support in this regard," he said.

Source: Ultra Palestine