Netanyahu Visits Gaza, Pledges Disarmament; Defense Minister Discusses Palestinian Removal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited a military outpost in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, pledging to continue efforts to disarm Hamas.

This marks Netanyahu's first visit to the territory since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect in October 2025. Netanyahu stated, "We control the area. We are not retreating. We are staying on this line," referring to the Yellow Line, which demarcates areas under Hamas and Israeli military control. He added, "We control 60% of the Strip, and there is more to come because we are eliminating the terrorists who threaten us, day in and day out."

Netanyahu stressed that the Gaza Strip will no longer pose a threat to Israel, noting that the goal has been achieved to a large extent. Katz added that the Israeli government is waiting for the US to figure out where to take the displaced Gazans, saying, "There is no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration."

US President Donald Trump, at the start of his second term, had called for all two million Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip, proposing to develop it into a luxury resort. Trump later walked back the idea after pushback, including from Egypt, and laid out 20 points for Gaza in October that included no forced displacement.

Katz claimed Trump had only frozen the idea and that it is being discussed all the time, even now. Forced displacement of civilians in occupied territory is considered a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. On Tuesday, Israel announced its forces and a Palestinian anti-Hamas militia captured Moein Al-Arabid, the head of Hamas’s internal security apparatus, in a joint operation in Gaza City.

Palestinian health officials reported that four people were killed in the operation. Israeli strikes on Gaza killed five Palestinians in the last 24 hours, including a child in an area west of Gaza City.