A retired IDF Colonel has stated that the Israeli military has a long-term goal of controlling the Gaza Strip until the terrorist organization Hamas is defeated and dismantled.

“This is not like before,” former IDF Col. Amit Assa said in an interview with ILTV News. “The IDF will remain in the areas it captures – this will be a full military occupation until Hamas is no longer present.”

In the past, Israel fought several wars against Hamas in Gaza that ultimately ended prematurely, leaving the Iranian-backed jihadist group in continued control of the coastal enclave. However, Assa — who also served as a senior official in the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) — emphasized that this war is fundamentally different from previous conflicts with Hamas in Gaza.

“They must understand this is a different war. We are dismantling them piece by piece. Their only choice is to surrender,” Assa stated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been reluctant to discuss Gaza’s post-war future. However, the prime minister has made it clear that neither Hamas nor its political rival Fatah will be allowed to control Gaza. In February 2024, Netanyahu indicated that he envisioned local Gazans with no affiliation to Hamas or any other terrorist organization to run the coastal enclave’s future civil affairs. It is unclear whether Netanyahu has identified specific candidates for this challenging post-war administration in Gaza.

Assa also explained that the Trump administration’s large military aid to the Israel Defense Forces is about much more than just the ongoing military operations against Hamas in Gaza.

“When we are watching the aid that we are getting from the United States, it's not just something we can point, this time or another. It is a continuation of aid that comes into the IDF and not just for the business that we have now in Gaza. It’s a lot more because we have a few other places that we have to be prepared for. First, of course, is Hezbollah, and we have to be prepared for any kind of escalation. We need to understand that in Syria, there is escalation,” Assa stated.

There are particular concerns in Israel that the Iranian terrorist proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon could resume fighting after agreeing to a ceasefire in late 2024.

Many Lebanese across political and ethnic lines increasingly blame Hezbollah for provoking an unnecessary war with Israel and for prioritizing Iranian interests over Lebanon’s national well-being. This criticism comes as Lebanon grapples with a severe financial crisis.

U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus recently urged Lebanon to implement economic reforms. He compared Hezbollah to a cancer that needs to be removed.

“When you have cancer, you don’t treat part of the cancer in your body and let the rest of it grow and fester,” Ortagus told the news outlet Al Arabiya. “You cut the cancer out,” she added.

However, Hezbollah’s current secretary-general, Naim Qassem, rejected any calls to disarm Hezbollah.

“We will not let anyone disarm Hezbollah or disarm the resistance,” Qassem stated on Friday. “We must cut this idea of disarmament from the dictionary.”'

This AllIsrael.com report was republished with permission by All Israel News.