Katz: Israel will not withdraw from its positions in Syria and affirms its intention to remain in Gaza

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israel will not withdraw from its positions in Syria, stressing that his country’s forces “will not move a single millimeter.”

Katz made the remarks during a ceremony announcing the construction of 1,200 housing units in the Beit El settlement in the West Bank, where he emphasized the continuation of the Israeli military presence in the Syrian territories under its control.

Katz had stated last August that the Israeli army would remain in Mount Hermon and the buffer zone, considering this to be part of “defending the residents of the Golan and the Galilee.”

Regarding the Gaza Strip, the Israeli defense minister said that Israel “will never withdraw from the entire Gaza Strip,” announcing his government’s intention to establish settlement outposts in the northern part of the Strip. He added that the establishment of these outposts would take place “at the appropriate time and timing,” noting that there are protests against these policies, while emphasizing that the Israeli government is the one that makes the decision.