Netanyahu's senior advisor Hanegbi: IDF will begin to implement strategy for 'day after' in northern Gaza

Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi on Tuesday announced that the IDF will soon begin to implement parts of its “day after” plan in northern Gaza, even before the Hamas terrorist organization is defeated and removed from power in the Gaza Strip.

“We don’t need to wait for Hamas to disappear because maybe that process will take a long time,” Hanegbi said during his speech at the Herzliya Conference, hosted by the Institute for Policy and Strategy at Reichman University.

The senior diplomat noted that the IDF’s plans for Gaza after the war have “been sharpened” in recent weeks and added that “a practical expression of this plan” would be implemented soon.

Hanegbi’s comments were made just a couple of days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was interviewed on right-wing Channel 14’s “Patriots” TV program, where he was asked many questions about the war effort, IDF’s readiness to fight Hezbollah, and various political challenges Netanyahu has faced since the start of the Gaza War. 

During the interview, Netanyahu said the IDF had attempted to implement one of its plans for creating a local Palestinian government in Gaza earlier in the conflict. 

When asked about plans for the “day after Hamas” Netanyahu replied: “The question is, do we also want to create a civilian government, if possible, with local Palestinians, maybe with external backing from local countries, to administer the humanitarian distribution, and also afterwards the civilian administration of the [Gaza] Envelope?” 

Responding in the affirmative, he continued: "The IDF came to me five months ago and suggested, ‘Let’s take clans and give it [administration] to them.’ I said, ‘Okay.’ We took the clans, and it didn’t take a long time and Hamas eliminated them.” 

The prime minister said the IDF has a new plan, but added, “I don’t want to give details here, because I want it to succeed, to do it in stages, in a different manner. And I think it's an essential thing to make the attempt.” 

It is unclear if Hanegbi was referring to this new IDF plan that Netanyahu referred to, however, the senior Israeli security advisor agreed with a recent statement by IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari, who said that Hamas is an idea that cannot be defeated militarily. 

“We can’t get rid of Hamas as an idea, there we need an alternative idea,” Hanegbi said. 

According to Hanegbi, the IDF intends to do something similar to its previous attempt, instituting a government of local Palestinians who are willing to live alongside Israel, with backing from moderate Arab states. 

“The minute Hamas’s ability to operate its military and civil systems like it could on October 7 is taken away, there will be more ability for countries that want to see a governing alternative to Hamas in Gaza, with local leadership in Gaza, to join this process.” Hanegbi explained, saying, “It’s starting to take form now.” 

However, like Netanyahu, Hanegbi did not give many details except to say the plan would be implemented in the northern Gaza Strip in the coming weeks.