Ministers insist Israeli military control secures Gaza, blocks terror resurgence, rejects PA governance externally backed.
At a tense Sunday meeting, Israeli ministers issued a unified warning against reopening the Rafah crossing or allowing the Palestinian Authority any administrative role in Gaza. The consensus view: such steps would jeopardize Israel Defense Forces personnel, incentivize terror networks, and erode Israel’s security gains.
Orit Strock cautioned that transferring authority risks future captivity of soldiers and moral failure toward families who bear the cost of war. Miri Regev stressed Gaza must be governed by neither Hamas nor the PA. Bezalel Smotrich warned that abandoning military control invites hostile statehood outcomes. Itamar Ben Gvir underscored that Hamas remains operational and must be fully dismantled and demilitarized before any crossings open.
