"I repeat it clearly: I will not accept the establishment of an Israeli military administration in Gaza, Israel should not have civilian control over the Gaza Strip," Gallant said at a press conference.

The minister, who is a member of the War Cabinet, urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seek a Palestinian alternative to the Islamist group Hamas to govern the Palestinian enclave, without involving the Israeli authorities or military.

Gallant said that since the beginning of the conflict, in October, he has been trying to get the Israeli authorities to address the need to seek an "alternative, local and non-hostile Palestinian government" for Gaza.

The minister made it clear that there will only be a "day after" Hamas in the enclave with a Palestinian government accompanied by international actors, because if Israel decides to establish a military government in Gaza, this will become "the main military and security effort" in the country for years, at the cost of neglecting other fronts.

"I will not accept the creation of an Israeli military government in Gaza," Gallant stressed.

His remarks came shortly after Netanyahu said in a video message that it is not yet time to talk about the "day after" the war, since Hamas has not yet been neutralized.

"As long as it is not clear that Hamas is not in military control of Gaza, no actor will be willing to take over the civilian management of Gaza," Netanyahu said in the message, accusing the Palestinian Islamist group of intimidating and attacking civilians for working on food distribution inside the Gaza territory.

Netanyahu's words come three days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured in an interview with CBS television that the United States has not yet seen a plan for post-conflict Gaza.

Gallant's statements have already drawn criticism from Israel's National Security Minister, far-right settler Itamar Ben Gvir, who called in a message on Twitter for the "replacement" of the defense chief in order to "achieve the objectives of the war".

"From Gallant's point of view, it makes no difference whether Gaza is controlled by IDF soldiers or whether it is controlled by Hamas murderers. This is the essence of the concept of a Defense Minister who failed on October 7 and continues to fail to this day," said the controversial leader of the extremist Jewish Power party, a key part of Netanyahu's governing coalition.

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