Israel does not want to control Gaza, but only intends to eliminate the opportunity for Hamas to lead the strip, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview.
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“One thing is very clear: Israel cannot return to the status quo, to a situation where Hamas is in charge of Gaza and can repeat what they did. At the same time, I heard from Israel that they have no intention or desire to govern Gaza.” , Blinken said in an interview with NBC News.
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According to him, the Israelis have left Gaza without preconditions in the past, but they cannot accept a situation in which the strip poses a threat to Israel.
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During the 1967 War (called the Six Day War), Israel occupied many Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip. In August 2005, Israel evacuated settlements from the Gaza Strip and several settlements in the West Bank, and in September 2005 withdrew troops from Gaza, ending its 38-year occupation.
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On the morning of October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. In addition, after massive rocket attacks, the organization’s fighters penetrated into the border areas in southern Israel. In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Within days of the attack, the Israeli military took control of all settlements near the Gaza border and began conducting air strikes on targets, including civilians, in the strip. Israel also announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip: the supply of water, food, electricity, medicine, and fuel was suspended.
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The number of victims in the Gaza Strip exceeded 4.6 thousand people, over 14 thousand were injured. In Israel, according to local authorities, more than 1.3 thousand people died.
