"Speaking on Tuesday, Katz said Israeli forces would remain deployed throughout Gaza, despite a United States-backed peace plan signed by Israel and Hamas in October that calls for a full Israeli military withdrawal and rules out the re-establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the territory. We are located deep inside Gaza, and we will never leave all of Gaza, Katz said."
"We are there to protect. In due course, we will establish Nahal [an Israeli infantry brigade] outposts in northern Gaza in place of the settlements that were uprooted, Katz added, according to Israeli media. Hours later, he issued a statement in English to the Reuters news agency, saying Nahal units would be stationed in Gaza only for security reasons. The Israeli media reported that US officials were displeased with Katz's initial comments and demanded clarification."
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz declared that Israeli military forces will not fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip and that army units will be established inside the enclave. Katz said forces would remain deployed throughout Gaza despite a United States-backed October peace plan that calls for a full Israeli withdrawal and forbids re-establishing civilian settlements. Katz announced plans for Nahal infantry outposts in northern Gaza to replace uprooted settlements and later stated in English to Reuters that Nahal units would be stationed only for security reasons. He spoke while marking approval of 1,200 housing units in the Beit El settlement and emphasized settlement expansion.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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