JERUSALEM, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israel would never fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip or from Syria, and vowed to establish new settlements in Gaza.

Speaking at a public ceremony in the West Bank settlement of Beit El, Katz said Israel would establish in northern Gaza Nahal settlement groups, military-backed settlement nuclei from which larger civilian settlements are developed. He said the move would take place "in the right way, at the right time," without specifying a date.

Katz said the new settlements would be built "in place of" settlements evacuated as part of Israel's 2005 withdrawal from the coastal enclave, known as the disengagement plan.

"We are deep inside Gaza and will never leave all of Gaza -- there will be no such thing," Katz said.

Despite a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, Israel has continued near-daily attacks in Gaza and the demolition of buildings in areas where its troops remain deployed.

Speaking of Israeli plans in Syria, Katz dismissed U.S.-brokered diplomatic efforts to reach an arrangement between Israel and Syria. "We don't trust anyone ... no agreement," he said. "We will not withdraw even by a millimeter in Syria."

Israel moved into the buffer zone in southwestern Syria in December 2024 and later took control of the peak of Mount Hermon. ■