Israel's National Security Council official resigns: Report

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) - Yoram Hamo, an Israeli official in charge of defense policy and strategic planning at the National Security Council, has resigned, public broadcaster KAN reported on Sunday.

Hamo resigned due to frustrations over the failure to reach political decisions regarding future actions in the Gaza Strip, KAN said.

In response, the National Security Council claimed Hamo had expressed his intention to step down several months ago, citing "personal reasons unrelated to public matters."

Regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip, the broadcaster said a plan recently deliberated within the National Security Council will imminently be presented to the Security Cabinet.

The plan, it said, outlines civilian administration in the Gaza Strip for a period ranging from six months to a year.

It claimed that essential services will be delivered to the population through private Arab enterprises, and eventually the control of the Gaza Strip will transition to local entities not hostile to Israel.

The Israeli government says any future government in the besieged enclave should not be led by Hamas.

Israel has attacked Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 which killed less than 1,200 people.

Nearly 35,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have since been killed, according to Palestinian health authorities.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi​​​​​​​