"After eliminating Hamas' military and political capacity in Gaza, Israel will have security control over Gaza with full freedom to act", he writes on X.
According to Katz, who emphasizes that he is expressing his own opinions, Israel's future control over Gaza will be the same as on the West Bank. Since 1967, Israel has been occupying the West Bank and frequently conducting extensive military raids there.
Katz's predecessor as defense minister, Yoav Gallant, opposed Israeli control over Gaza after the war. Gallant was fired in November due to what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called "disagreements over war policy".
Katz's latest statement goes against the conditions that the terrorist-designated Hamas has expressed for agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza, namely a complete Israeli withdrawal from the strip.
