Israel will have “security responsibility” over the Gaza Strip for an indefinite period following its war against Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in an interview aired Monday night, The Times of Israel reported.The situation in Gaza post-war remains uncertain, with concerns about how Israel plans to manage it.
“I think Israel will for an indefinite period have security responsibility,” Netanyahu told ABC News. “We’ve seen what happens 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.”
The war with Hamas began after approximately 3,000 terrorists breached the Gaza border on October 7, resulting in the deaths of around 1,400 people, mainly civilians, and the abduction of over 240 individuals, including at least 30 children.
The interview also saw Netanyahu admitting that he bore some measure of responsibility for the defence failure that allowed Hamas to commit its atrocities on October 7. When asked, “Do you believe that you should take any responsibility?” Netanyahu replied: “Of course. It’s not a question,” adding that there would be time after the war “to allocate” that responsibility.
Netanyahu did not provide specific details on what Israel’s security oversight in Gaza would entail after the war, but it appears to involve an extended military presence in the Strip. Israel has also insisted that it has no plans to reoccupy the enclave, which it unilaterally withdrew from in 2005, according to The Times of Israel.The Biden administration has expressed opposition to an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza, urging Israel to formulate a plan for the governance of the enclave once Hamas is removed from power. Some suggest that the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority could replace Hamas, while others doubt the PA’s stability and reliability.
Israeli officials have mentioned the need to maintain a military presence in Gaza as a buffer to protect Israeli civilians. Since Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, the region has seen frequent rocket attacks and the threat of offensive attack tunnels.
