Israel says it has no plans to occupy Gaza

A senior Israeli adviser says Tel Aviv will have a security presence in Gaza, but has no plans to "occupy" it after the conflict ends.

Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said on November 7 that the country's post-war plan does not include a "prolonged occupation" of the Gaza Strip.

"I think people can expect something more flexible, where we can come and go as needed to deal with the security situation. We are not discussing any form of occupation in the Gaza Strip," he said.

Asked about Netanyahu's comments on 6 November that Israel would be responsible for security in Gaza "indefinitely" after the conflict ends, Regev said "a distinction must be made between security presence and political control".

"When the conflict is over and Hamas is defeated, the important thing is that Hamas does not re-emerge. There will have to be an Israeli security presence, but that does not mean that Israel is re-occupying Gaza and governing its people," Regev said.

According to him, Israel is interested in establishing new frameworks for Gazans to govern themselves and receive international support for reconstruction. "Hopefully Arab countries can join us in rebuilding a demilitarized Gaza after Hamas," Regev stressed.

Smoke rises after an Israeli shelling of the city of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on November 7. Photo: AFP — Smoke rises after an Israeli shelling of the city of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on November 7. Photo: *AFP*

Prime Minister Netanyahu told ABC News on November 6 that Gaza should be run by "people who do not want to continue on the path of Hamas," one of his first hints at a post-conflict strategy for Gaza that differs from the US view.

US President Joe Biden said last month that occupying Gaza would be a “big mistake”. Israel’s ambassador to the US, Michael Herzog, at the time insisted that Israel had no intention of occupying Gaza after the conflict with Hamas ended.

US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel continued to affirm on November 7 that Washington does not support Israel's reoccupation of Gaza. "Our position is that the Palestinians are the ones responsible for deciding this issue. Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain so," Patel said.

Israel occupied the Gaza Strip after the 1967 Six-Day War and faced fierce resistance from Palestinians. In 2005, Israel decided to withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip and impose a blockade after Hamas took control of the territory in 2007.

Israel - Hamas conflict developments

Huyen Le (According to CNN )

Source link