Netanyahu says Israel is not trying to occupy Gaza after war against Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that his country does not intend to conquer, occupy or rule Gaza after the war against Hamas, but said it would need a “credible force” to enter the Palestinian enclave if necessary to invade to prevent the emergence of militant threats.
Netanyahu’s comments this week that Israel would be indefinitely responsible for security in the Gaza Strip were met with resistance from the United States, Israel’s main ally. Washington has said it will oppose Israel’s postwar occupation of the Gaza Strip, where Israel has carried out a bombing campaign to destroy Hamas rulers in the enclave after militants ripped through southern Israeli communities in an Oct. 7 attack that followed Israel says 1,400 people were killed.
Speaking to US television channel Fox News, Netanyahu said: “We don’t want to conquer Gaza, we don’t want to occupy Gaza and we don’t want to rule Gaza.”
The prime minister said it was necessary to form a civilian government in Gaza, but Israel would ensure that an attack like the one on October 7 would not happen again. “That is why we need a credible force that, if necessary, will enter Gaza and kill the murderers. Because that is what will prevent the resurgence of a Hamas-like entity,” Netanyahu said. (Portal)