Israel aims to cut Gaza ties after war with Hamas

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that after Hamas was defeated, Israel would no longer have "responsibility for life in the Gaza Strip".

Israel provided the majority of Gaza's energy requirements before the conflict and supervised imports into the region.

Israel's attacks on Gaza are still ongoing, and aid is still obstructed at the Egyptian border.

The bombardments are in retaliation for attacks by Hamas gunmen on Israel on October 7, which resulted in at least 1,400 fatalities and 203 hostage takings. Israel is prepared to begin a ground offensive right now.

According to a statement from his office, Mr. Gallant told a parliamentary committee on Friday that the goal of the first phase of the campaign was to destroy Hamas's infrastructure.

Then, he continued, Israeli forces would start "operations at lower intensity" to get rid of "pockets of resistance".

The third stage, according to him, "will require the removal of Israel's responsibility for life in the Gaza Strip, and the establishment of a new security reality for the citizens of Israel" .

Israel left Gaza in 2005, but the UN still considers the region to be an occupied territory, along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and holds Israel liable for meeting the basic needs of its residents.

In the past, Israel has permitted Gazans to cross the border to work. To stop weapons from getting to Hamas, it has also monitored imports into the region.

Following the attacks on October 7th, it stopped receiving deliveries of food and medicine as well as electricity. "Beyond catastrophic" is how the UN describes the situation there.

A deal between the US and Egypt has made it possible for some supplies to start providing aid to Gaza's 2.2 million residents.

20 trucks were initially scheduled to travel in a convoy through the Rafah border crossing on Friday, but they are still stranded on the Egyptian side.

Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN, made a plea for the entry of aid trucks while he was at the crossing on Friday.

"These trucks are not just trucks - they are a lifeline, they are the difference between life and death to many people in Gaza," he stated. "What we need is to make them move."

Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, has confirmed that he will attend a summit in Cairo on Saturday to discuss achieving a cease-fire.

Talks about attempting to put an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on a two-state solution will take place at the event, which is being hosted by Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.

Mr. Guterres and representatives from the EU, as well as delegations from several Arab and European nations, will also be present.