How Israel intends to handle Gaza’s postwar future remains an open and burning question as Israeli forces push deeper into the enclave amid a campaign to eliminate the Hamas terror group, which has ruled the Strip for over 15 years.
“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 interview also saw Netanyahu move toward admitting that he bore some measure of responsibility for the defense fiasco that allowed Hamas to commit its atrocities on October 7. He was asked, “Do you believe that you should take any responsibility?” And he replied: “Of course. It’s not a question,” adding that there would be time after the war “to allocate” that responsibility.
Israel declared war on Hamas after some 3,000 terrorists breached the Gaza border on October 7 and slaughtered around 1,400 people — mainly civilians — as they rampaged through communities in southern Israel. They also abducted over 240 people to the Strip, including at least 30 children. READ MORE
