Israel defence minister on country's plan after war: Complete control of Gaza

Israel-Hamas War: Yoav Gallant also underscored that the top priority of the war was to eliminate Hamas.

Israel's defence minister Yoav Gallant declared that the country will retain "complete freedom of action to respond to any situation in the Gaza Strip" once the war ends. Yoav Gallant emphasised that “at the end of this 'campaign,' Hamas, as a military organisation or governing body in Gaza, will cease to exist.”

Israel-Hamas War: Smoke rising from northern Gaza during shelling by Israeli forces amid ongoing battle.(AFP)

"There will be no security threat to Israel from Gaza, and Israel will retain complete freedom of action, to respond to any situation in the Gaza Strip that poses any kind of threat," he said after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent remarks that Tel Aviv would have overall security responsibility in Gaza for an indefinite period following the war. The Israeli government has not provided detailed plans for governing Gaza after the war till now.

Yoav Gallant also underscored that the top priority of the war was to eliminate Hamas and he was focused on achieving victory and securing the return of Israeli hostages.

The war has caused more than 1,400 deaths in Israel and over 10,000 in Gaza, according to authorities on both sides.

Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview, “I think Israel will for an indefinite period have security responsibility. We've seen what happens when we don't have that... security responsibility, what we have is the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale that we couldn't imagine.”

Although, US president Joe Biden cautioned Israel against reoccupying Gaza emphasising the need for the Palestinian Authority and a path to a Palestinian state, asserting that not all Palestinian people are represented by Hamas and its extreme elements.

Joe Biden earlier said that it would be a "big mistake" for Israel to occupy Gaza.

"What happened in Gaza, in my view, is Hamas and the extreme elements of Hamas don't represent all the Palestinian people," he said.

Hamas should be eliminated entirely, “but there needs to be a Palestinian Authority. There needs to be a path to a Palestinian state”, he had then said.