Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said his government has no intention of permanently occupying or governing Gaza, despite speculation that a major military push could lead to a full reentry into the Palestinian territory for the first time since 2005.
In a televised interview with Fox News, Netanyahu was asked whether Israel would take control of "all of Gaza." He responded, “We intend to.”
The interview aired just before Netanyahu was scheduled to meet with his security cabinet to discuss the next phase of the war, including plans to extend military operations into densely populated areas where hostages are believed to be held, according to Israeli media reports.
Pressed on whether Israel seeks to re-establish control over the entire 26-mile-long coastal enclave, Netanyahu clarified, “We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it.”
Instead, Netanyahu said Israel aims to eventually transfer authority to Arab forces capable of administering Gaza without posing a threat to Israel. “We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life. That’s not possible with Hamas,” he said.
The remarks come amid speculation over whether Israel could reoccupy Gaza for the first time since its 2005 withdrawal of troops and settlers.
Since the October 7 Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in the abduction of 251 hostages, Israel has launched a massive military campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Dozens more killed in Gaza
At least 29 Palestinians were killed in southern Gaza on Thursday, according to local hospitals. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported that 12 of the dead were people trying to reach aid near a distribution point supported by a US- and Israeli-backed contractor. Fifty others were wounded, many from gunfire, the hospital said, AP reported.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment but has accused Hamas of using aid sites for cover.
In a televised interview with Fox News, Netanyahu was asked whether Israel would take control of "all of Gaza." He responded, “We intend to.”
The interview aired just before Netanyahu was scheduled to meet with his security cabinet to discuss the next phase of the war, including plans to extend military operations into densely populated areas where hostages are believed to be held, according to Israeli media reports.
Pressed on whether Israel seeks to re-establish control over the entire 26-mile-long coastal enclave, Netanyahu clarified, “We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it.”
Instead, Netanyahu said Israel aims to eventually transfer authority to Arab forces capable of administering Gaza without posing a threat to Israel. “We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life. That’s not possible with Hamas,” he said.
The remarks come amid speculation over whether Israel could reoccupy Gaza for the first time since its 2005 withdrawal of troops and settlers.
Since the October 7 Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in the abduction of 251 hostages, Israel has launched a massive military campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Dozens more killed in Gaza
At least 29 Palestinians were killed in southern Gaza on Thursday, according to local hospitals. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported that 12 of the dead were people trying to reach aid near a distribution point supported by a US- and Israeli-backed contractor. Fifty others were wounded, many from gunfire, the hospital said, AP reported.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment but has accused Hamas of using aid sites for cover.
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