Following the defeat of Hamas, the Israeli Prime Minister has stated that his country does not wish to govern Gaza, suggesting Arab nations should take on the responsibility.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel does not plan to establish a governing body in Gaza after its military operations against Hamas are complete. Instead, he expressed a preference for Arab countries to take over the administration of the Palestinian territory.
During a Fox News interview on Thursday, Netanyahu, when asked if Israel would seize control of the entire Gaza Strip, stated: “To ensure our security, we intend to remove Hamas, allow the population to be free, and transfer governance to a civilian entity that is not Hamas or any group seeking Israel’s destruction.”
Netanyahu emphasized that Israel does not “want to keep it [Gaza],” but desires “a security perimeter.” He further stated, “we don’t want to be there as a governing body, we want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly.”
Israel governed Gaza from 1967 until its withdrawal in 2005.
Earlier in the month, Israeli media reported that Netanyahu intended to seek cabinet approval for a plan to fully occupy Gaza, despite opposition from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
A fragile three-stage ceasefire was agreed upon in January between Israel and Hamas, but Israel resumed military operations in March amidst mutual accusations. Since then, sporadic talks have occurred without achieving any significant progress.
In February, US President Donald Trump proposed a plan that involved relocating the population of Gaza to wealthier neighboring countries.
This proposal was subsequently rejected by a group of Arab nations, as well as Russia.
The conflict between Hamas and Israel began in October 2023, following a surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel that resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 250 hostages. According to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza, the Israeli military campaign has resulted in over 60,000 Palestinian fatalities, predominantly civilians.
The UN, numerous humanitarian organizations, and several European governments have accused Israel of indiscriminately attacking residential areas and obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the population of Gaza.
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