Israel says the objective of its forces is to remove Hamas from power in Gaza. Photo by REUTERS
In an interview with the US ABC News network, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made his first comments regarding Israel’s post-war plan for the Gaza Strip. He stated that Israel would have “overall security responsibility” for Gaza for an unspecified period. However, he did not provide details about the specific security mechanisms that would be put in place.
Israel’s primary objective in the ongoing conflict with Hamas, which has governed Gaza since 2007, is to dismantle the group. The conflict was triggered when hundreds of Hamas gunmen breached the border, launching attacks on Israeli communities and a music festival on October 7. According to Israeli authorities, this event resulted in more than 1,400 casualties, making it the bloodiest incident in Israel’s history. Additionally, the Israeli military reported that Hamas had taken 242 individuals hostage.
Since the outbreak of hostilities, Israel has been conducting attacks on Gaza from multiple fronts, including land, sea, and air. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has reported that over 10,000 people have lost their lives since the commencement of Israel’s military operation.
When questioned about the governance of Gaza after the conflict, Prime Minister Netanyahu suggested that those who do not support the Hamas ideology should be in charge. However, he also stressed the need for Israel to maintain security control. He stated, “I think Israel will, for an indefinite period, have the overall security responsibility because we have seen what happens when we don’t have it. When we don’t have that security responsibility, we have the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale that we couldn’t imagine.”
Prior to the conflict, Israel, along with Egypt (which shares a border with Gaza), imposed a blockade on the territory to prevent the flow of weapons to Hamas and to deter militant attacks. Israel controlled Gaza’s borders, airspace, and shoreline, maintaining a stringent security protocol and permitting only select, vetted goods, along with essential supplies such as food, fuel, and medicine. Imports were frequently halted in response to attacks originating from Gaza.
Although the specific nature of the security control proposed by Prime Minister Netanyahu remains unclear, any return to a long-term ground occupation is likely to face opposition from the international community. A week after the war began, US President Joe Biden expressed his belief that an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza would be a significant mistake.
It’s worth noting that, despite Israel’s withdrawal of troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005, the United Nations continues to regard the territory as being under Israeli occupation.
COMMENTS