Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen, who is also a member of the security cabinet, spoke to Arutz Sheva - Israel National News about developments in the Gaza Strip and the implications after the return of all living and murdered hostages.
He stated, “After the return of all hostages, and the return of Ran Gvili, a hero of Israel who went out to fight for all of us, the main thing before us is the final crushing of Hamas. We’ve done ninety percent of the work, and we need to complete the remaining ten percent."
Cohen emphasized that the central task in the next phase is the disarmament of Hamas, “This means ensuring that Hamas will no longer hold weapons. This is the main task for the next phase."
Despite reports of Hamas rearming, Cohen said: “We are working to complete the task to its fullest. Hamas has become a shadow of itself. It has brought disaster upon the people of Gaza. Their suicidal mission against Israel led to the collapse of the Shiite axis, with Nasrallah not with us in Lebanon, Assad not with us in Syria, the Houthis hit, and Iran is in its worst state since 1979."
Cohen referred to the initial assessments suggesting that Israel would not enter Rafah or return the hostages - assessments that were not realized. He believes the same will occur with the challenge of completely defeating Hamas. When asked if he, as a Cabinet member, is satisfied with the current situation, he said, “The last thing I am is satisfied. We are working to continue. The Cabinet's instructions are to proceed with the tasks."
He also addressed the voices from the opposition calling for an Israeli retreat to pre-October 6 lines, an Israeli surrender, and the complete release of terrorists. “We told them we are determined to complete the task. We are determined to ensure that no organization will hold weapons in the Gaza Strip, especially Hamas."
Addressing how things will unfold in practice, he mentioned that under the agreements with the US president, there is a window of a few months where the multinational force will have the opportunity to demilitarize the Strip and dismantle Hamas' weapons. However, he casts doubt on whether the multinational force will succeed, and regarding the Israeli presence in Gaza, he added, “There is no reason to withdraw before completing this task. The main priority is dismantling Hamas’ weapons and demilitarizing the Strip. This is what should be dealt with and focused on."
Concerning the involvement of Qatar and Turkey in decisions about Gaza’s future, which was previously considered a red line for Israel and is now in question due to their inclusion in Trump’s Peace Council, Cohen stated that there will be no Qatari or Turkish soldiers in Gaza and that security control will remain solely in Israeli hands.
Addressing President Trump’s decision to include these two countries in his Peace Council, Cohen said that this is one of those cases where Israel disagrees with the U.S. president’s position.
Referring to the Rafah crossing and its opening, Cohen said, “The Rafah crossing will be under Israeli supervision for the passage of people only. What should happen there is the exit of Gazans from Gaza. That is what should happen. Gaza is in ruins, and there’s no reason for people to enter. I don’t see Gaza recovering quickly, so we need to give people the opportunity to leave."
Finally, when asked if this is his vision for the use of the open Rafah crossing or if it’s a planned move for that purpose, Cohen responded, “Of course. It will serve, primarily, for Gazans to exit. They are in a very difficult situation because of the disaster Hamas brought upon them, so they should leave, and everything will be under Israeli supervision and control."