Netanyahu declares ‘we don’t want to keep Gaza’

2025-08-09 05:19:02

(MENAFN) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel does not plan to govern Gaza after its military campaign against Hamas ends, preferring that Arab countries assume control of the Palestinian territory.

In a Thursday interview with Fox News, Netanyahu said Israel aims to remove Hamas to secure its safety and then hand governance to a civilian authority that opposes Hamas and Israel’s destruction. He emphasized that Israel wants a security buffer but does not want to remain as Gaza’s ruling power.

Netanyahu also revealed intentions to seek government approval for fully occupying Gaza, despite opposition from the Israeli Defense Forces.

Israel governed Gaza from 1967 until its withdrawal in 2005. Recent conflicts reignited after Hamas’s surprise October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 Israelis and took 250 hostages. Since then, Israeli military actions have reportedly killed over 60,000 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Health Ministry.

A fragile ceasefire earlier this year collapsed, and peace talks have yet to produce results. In February, former U.S. President Donald Trump proposed relocating Gaza’s population to wealthy neighboring countries, a plan rejected by Arab nations and Russia.

The UN and humanitarian groups have criticized Israel for striking residential areas and blocking aid deliveries, describing the situation in Gaza as an unfolding catastrophe.

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