What has happened in the 11 months since Israel has launched its war against Hamas… and
what does this war look like for the 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza, 80% of the buildings and
homes have been reduced to rubble, at least 45,000 Palestinians have been killed, and
according to the Gaza Health Ministry, there are over 1 million cases of infectious disease.
That’s almost one for every two Palestinians.
So what will happen when the war is over? What will Gaza be like? Who will be living there?
I’m Investigative Journalist Ben Swann and this is Reckoning: Israel and Gaza.
To understand who will be living in Gaza when the war is over — it’s important to hear how the
state of Israel — one of the two warring parties in this conflict — answers this question.
In an Israeli Hebrew language newspaper, IDF General Giora Eiland, wrote:
“Creating a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a necessary means to achieve our goal. Gaza
will become a place where no human being can exist.”
Another idea put forth by Israel’s top brass is quote “voluntary” migration or transfer…to Africa.
According to the Times of Israel, Israel is in talks with the Congo, a country 3,000 miles from
Gaza, for potential “absorption of the Palestinians in Gaza.”
So if Palestinians will no longer be in Gaza, who will be there? Well, it seems like the Israelis.
From 2005, when Israel first pulled out of Gaza, up until October 7th, when the war between
Hamas and Israel began, Israel had no presence in the Gaza Strip, aside from occasional
military attacks or bombardments — there’s been no military or occupation infrastructure inside
Gaza
However, the war has created the conditions for Israel to reoccupy the Strip, which has been a
long-standing and clearly articulated aim of Israel’s ruling Likud party.
And it’s not one village or a few towns.
According to Haaretz, who interviewed IDF soldiers and analyzed satellite images, the Israeli
military has taken complete control of 26% of the Gaza Strip, building entire military compounds
and paving their own highways.
While some of the military is busy fighting Hamas militants, there are entire brigades of
hundreds of soldiers, hundreds of explosive experts and hundreds of construction workers,
demolishing the old Gaza and building the infrastructure needed for the new, occupied and
settled Gaza.
Here’s a satellite photo of a giant region of Gaza that is now entirely occupied and controlled by
Israel — it’s called the Netzarim corridor.
As you can see, on October 8th, 2023, you had a densely populated metro area of Gaza with
several universities, several hospitals, shopping centers and a handful of resorts.
Now all of that is gone.
The Israeli military surgically flattened the entire area, built three fully functioning state-of-the-art
military bases and paved a highway from Israel, through Gaza, to the Mediterranean Sea.
And if there’s any question remaining on why this giant 4 mile by 4 mile corridor was
constructed, as Haaretz pointed out — painted in the Israeli flag colors at the end of the road is
this. A phrase that translates to “Without settlement, there’s no victory.”
Meaning, to Israeli soldiers, winning the war goes beyond beating Hamas, something that
Americans have heard repeated over and over, but winning means turning Gaza into a
militarized Israeli controlled Jewish enclave.
And it’s not just soldiers. Back in May, according to Israeli media, Netanyahu’s right hand man,
Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir stated bluntly that after the war he would
be very happy to live in Gaza. We don’t hear these types of stories in the U.S.
“Only the state of Israel. No one else. A full occupation of Gaza. Israeli control. Jewish
settlement… I will be very happy to live in Gaza,” he said to an Israeli newspaper.
Yishai Fleisher, a political leader and rabbi in Israel took to X to post a photo of IDF soldiers on a
beach in Gaza with the caption “Israel is back in Gaza – and we are here to stay in our
ancestral land and our ancient beaches!!!”
In addition to the State of Israel already taking complete permanent control over large areas of
the Gaza Strip and officials making public statements about living in Gaza after the war ends,
Israeli citizens are wasting no time making their desire to live on the beach in Gaza known to
the government. Even breaking the law to do so.
Israelis have been regularly breaching the Erez military crossing, which connects the Israeli
town of Sderot to northern Gaza.
Bringing, plywood, vinyl, sheet metal and power drills to construct what they call “symbolic
outposts” with the permission of the Israeli military.
These small buildings that Israelis are building on the Gaza side of the border are meant to
signal to the government how ready they are to live in Gaza.
In America, we’re told we should prioritize sending billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to Israel over
dealing with our own issues here at home because Israel needs to be able defend itself.
Well, it seems like what initially appeared as a defensive war, is appearing more like an
offensive war with the expansionist goal of the permanent military occupation of the Gaza Strip
in order to ensure Israelis can safely live by the beach.
And Americans are footing the bill.
If you haven’t already, you can follow us on X @truth_inmedia or you can follow this series by
signing up to see each episode as it comes out at truthinmedia.com — stay tuned