TEL AVIV, July 28. /TASS/. Israel holds very strong positions in the Gaza Strip, now controlling 60% of the enclave , but it's not satisfied with that, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in an interview with the C14 television channel just hours before the meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump in Washington.

"We hold very strong positions in Gaza. Much remains to be done, but Hamas will not remain in the Gaza Strip. We already control more than 60% of the territory and will reach 70%," Katz said.

He noted that in a number of former strongholds of the radical Hamas movement, such as Jabalia or Shujaiyya, "nothing remains of what was there before." "We [Israel] have changed the method of combat and no longer conduct raids. We evacuate the population, attack with full force, occupy territory, stay there and destroy both underground infrastructure and above-ground facilities," Katz continued. The Defense Minister noted that together with Netanyahu, he "does not intend to yield positions or retreat from the three security zones in Syria, the Gaza Strip and Lebanon." In Katz's view, Trump "understands this."

According to Israel's Channel 13 television, on July 27, Netanyahu informed the ministers of his government that the United States is insisting on the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria, indicating that he intends to refuse Washington's demand. According to the channel, Washington has made it clear that it is interested in a "series of withdrawals" of Israeli troops on these three fronts.