Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth has questioned what future awaits the Gaza Strip three years after the 7 October 2023 attack carried out by Hamas against Israeli military positions and settlements surrounding the enclave.
“What comes next? What is the future of the Gaza front, and what is the future of the Gaza Strip? Three years after the 7 October attack, does anyone in the government, which is still in power, have an answer to this question? Perhaps the opposition parties have one?” the newspaper asked on Monday.
Its answer was blunt: “No.”
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the only document that currently attempts to define Gaza’s future and Israel’s position towards it was drafted by two Jewish American businessmen serving US President Donald Trump while also pursuing their own interests.
“Most of it is pure fantasy. Beyond that, there is no new realistic idea,” the newspaper said.
Between Total Withdrawal and Renewed Settlement
Yedioth Ahronoth said one end of the Israeli political spectrum is advocating a return to a model based on complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza combined with its total closure, similar to the situation between 2007 and 2022.
According to the newspaper, supporters of this approach hope that the pressure created by such conditions would eventually push millions of Palestinians to leave the territory.
“Did the closure succeed then? No,” it said.
At the opposite end of the political spectrum, others are proposing the effective annexation of the Gaza Strip and the re-establishment of Jewish settlements there, resembling the period of occupation before the Oslo Accords.
“Did that succeed then? No. Both extreme solutions have already demonstrated their failure and futility,” the newspaper wrote.
No Clear Political or Civilian Future
Yedioth Ahronoth argued that the question of “what comes next?” extends far beyond security considerations.
It said around 60 per cent of the Gaza Strip is effectively under Israeli control, but major economic and civilian questions remain unresolved.
“How will 2.3 million Gazans live, and who will exercise sovereignty over this place from which thousands of killers emerged on 7 October?” the newspaper asked, using its own characterisation of the Palestinians involved in the attack.
The newspaper also reported growing frustration and despair among members of the “Board of Peace” established by the Trump administration to implement its plans for Gaza.
At the same time, it accused senior Israeli officials of ignoring what it described as the horrific situation inside Gaza and remaining silent over the enclave’s future.
A Political Vacuum Three Years Later
“Three years after the attack, and one year after the agreement to end the war and return the hostages, reaching an agreement over the Gaza Strip that would guarantee complete security for Israel and Israelis, while providing a normal future for Palestinians, appears to be a fantasy,” Yedioth Ahronoth wrote.
Instead, the newspaper said another scenario is increasingly dominating Israeli fears.
“But instead, a real nightmare looms on the horizon: around 70 per cent of Israelis fear another mass attack similar to the 7 October 2023 attack,” it said.
Three years after 7 October, the newspaper’s assessment points to a continuing Israeli political vacuum over Gaza, with neither renewed occupation and settlement nor withdrawal and closure offering what it considers a workable answer to the enclave’s future.
