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A top Israeli official has said Israel will never fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

Getting into it: The comments were made by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said Israeli forces are positioned “deep inside Gaza” and that “we will never leave all of Gaza.” Framing the stance as a security necessity, Katz added, “We are there to protect, to prevent what happened from happening again,” referring to the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel. He also said that when the time comes, Israel would establish units in northern Gaza “in place of the settlements that were uprooted,” language widely interpreted as hinting at a long-term Israeli presence in the enclave.

Katz’s remarks immediately drew concern from US officials, who viewed them as contradicting a US-backed ceasefire and postwar plan that calls for Israel’s full military withdrawal from Gaza and explicitly rules out occupation or annexation. Hours after his speech, Katz issued a clarification in English saying the units stationed in Gaza would be “only for security reasons.” Despite the clarification, US officials speaking to various outlets expressed displeasure, warning that such statements undermine efforts to advance the peace plan and erode regional and international cooperation.

The comments came amid mounting pressure from far-right and ultranationalist figures within Israel, many of whom have openly called for reoccupying Gaza and rebuilding the settlements Israel dismantled in 2005. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out resettling Gaza, members of his coalition have pushed for a harder line, creating internal tensions within the government.

It should be noted that President Trump has previously said he would not allow Israel to annex Gaza.