Netanyahu's first post-war plan seeks security buffer in Gaza — in blow to U.S. diplomacy

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has disclosed his first official plan for the post-war future of the Gaza Strip.
• In the intermediate term, Israel wishes to "maintain its operational freedom of action in the entire Gaza Strip, without a time limit," as well as to retain a security buffer within the besieged territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disclosed his first official plan for the post-war future of the Gaza Strip, calling for Israel's ongoing military presence in the enclave and for the preservation of a security buffer zone — a step antithetical to the wishes of closely-allied Washington.

In a sparse document released overnight and translated by NBC News, Netanyahu outlines the previously stated immediate goals of demilitarizing and eradicating the governance of Hamas, as well as rescuing Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian militant group since the terror attacks of Oct. 7.

In the intermediate term, Israel wishes to "maintain its operational freedom of action in the entire Gaza Strip, without a time limit," as well as to retain a security buffer within the besieged territory.

"The security perimeter being created in the Gaza Strip on the border with Israel will remain as long as there is a security need for it," the document says.

The U.S., a staunch supporter of Israel's right to self-defense and supplier of weapons throughout the conflict, has previously refuted the possibility of both a reoccupation of the Gaza Strip and a decrease in its grounds.  

"There must be no reduction in the size of Gaza. That remains our position and it will remain our position. So if any proposed buffer zone was inside of Gaza, that would be a violation of that principle, and it would be something that we