Netanyahu: We cannot let Hamas regain control of Gaza News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that the military operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip will take weeks, adding that Israel cannot let Hamas regain control of Gaza.

In an interview with American media outlets, including CNN and CNBC, Netanyahu responded to a question about whether his forces would undertake a complete invasion of Rafah, saying that the operation that began 10 days ago “is being carried out responsibly” and will be in stages.

In a separate statement, the Israeli Prime Minister claimed that a humanitarian catastrophe has not occurred and will not occur in Rafah, despite his acknowledgment of the displacement of half a million Palestinians from what he called combat zones in the city.

He said that no party would be willing to take over civil administration in Gaza before ensuring that Hamas does not control the Strip militarily, considering that leaving the movement in place would pose a threat to its successor.

In response to those calling for a post-war plan on Gaza, including his critics within the security and military establishment as well as the American administration, Netanyahu said that talk about the “day after” the war in Gaza is empty of substance as long as the Hamas movement exists.

He also said that Israel would not allow the Palestinians to establish a state that might “attack it forcefully,” and would not allow the United Nations to prevent it from what he called self-defense.

Regarding the US administration’s withholding of a shipment of bombs, the Israeli Prime Minister expressed his hope to overcome this matter and obtain American military assistance, and stressed that Israel seeks to reduce differences with the US administration, but it will do what it must when its survival is at stake.

The Hebrew Walla website reported that Netanyahu said in a meeting with the war cabinet after US President Joe Biden warned against crossing his red line regarding Rafah, “We are not a state affiliated with the United States.”

Military rule

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said today that he will oppose any Israeli military rule in the Gaza Strip because it will be bloody, costly, and will last for years, as he put it.

Gallant added in a press conference in Tel Aviv that he calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce that Israel will not take civilian control of the Gaza Strip and to find an alternative to Hamas.

He continued that his efforts to raise the issue of governance in Gaza after the war did not find a response from the Netanyahu government, noting that the end of military operations in Gaza requires political action the day after the war.

In this context, he indicated that after the outbreak of the war, he supported a plan to form a new Palestinian administration that had no connection to the Hamas movement, but he did not find a response from the government.

The Israeli minister also said that work must be done to find civilian alternatives to Hamas, provided that they are not hostile to Israel, as he put it.

He claimed that the ability of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, to operate against Israel had diminished, and that the army was trying to eliminate the four remaining Qassam Brigades in Rafah.

In response to Gallant’s statements, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for the Defense Minister to be replaced in order to achieve the goals of the war on Gaza.

The prisoner deal is more important

In a related context, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid told state radio today that concluding a prisoner exchange deal and returning detainees in Gaza is more important than a military operation in Rafah.

Lapid described the Israeli government’s behavior towards Egypt as amateur behavior, as he put it.

He pointed out that it is not possible to move militarily in Rafah before coordinating positions with Egypt and the United States.

The Israeli opposition leader repeatedly criticized the Prime Minister’s policies and accused him of procrastinating in concluding an exchange deal for personal political reasons.

Lapid and War Council member Benny Gantz also called for early elections.