Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel could govern Gaza for an ‘indefinite period’ following the ongoing war with Hamas. EPA-EFE/ABIR SULTAN / POOL
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested Israel may govern Gaza for an “indefinite period” as the death toll in war has reached more than 10,000 people since a surprise shelling of Israel by Hamas Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah.
Netanyahu made his comments during an interview with ABC News. Advertisement
President Joe Biden has previously said it would be a mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza, and Biden has called for a “humanitarian pause” in the violence. Interviewer David Muir asked Netanyahu who should govern Gaza when the fighting ends.
Given the current tensions, there seems to be no end in sight. Netanyahu has rejected calls for a cease fire from Biden and other world leaders.
“Those who don’t want to continue the way of Hamas … It certainly is not – I think Israel will, for an indefinite period will have the overall security responsibility because we’ve seen what happens when we don’t have it,” Netanyahu said in the interview. “When we don’t have that security responsibility, what we have is the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale that we couldn’t imagine.” Advertisement
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant said last month that one key objective of Israel’s military campaign was to sever “Israel’s responsibility for life in the Gaza Strip” and establish a “new security reality for the citizens of Israel.”
The U.S. has also said the Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank, could oversee Gaza while others have suggested a consortium of Arab states could do the job collectively.
U.S. national security council spokesperson John Kirby said no matter who takes charge, Hamas can’t be in control of Gaza anymore.
“We are having conversations with our Israeli counterparts about what governance in Gaza should look like post-conflict and I don’t believe that any solutions have been settled upon one way or the other,” Kirby said.
Despite calls for a humanitarian cease fire, the violence has continued unabated with deadly and disastrous consequences. The U.N. chief said Gaza is “becoming a graveyard for children.”
