Will Israel Capture Gaza Again? PM Benjamin Netanyahu Makes Big Statement

PM Benjamin Netanyahu also admitted that he bore some measure of responsibility for the defence failure against the October 7 attack by Hamas.

Amid the fear that Israel may recapture Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a statement that indicates that the Israeli Defence Forces are there in Gaza to stay. PM Netanyahu said that Israel will have security responsibility over the Gaza Strip for an indefinite period. This shows that Israel will not leave Gaza till it is assured of destroying all Hamas sites and militants.

"I think Israel will for an indefinite period have security responsibility...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," Netanyahu told ABC News. 

In the interview, Netanyahu admitted that he bore some measure of responsibility for the defence failure against the October 7 attack by Hamas. The war between Israel and Hamas began after approximately 3,000 terrorists breached the Gaza border on October 7, killing around 1,400 people including Israeli soldiers, and abducted over 240 individuals, including at least 30 children.

Netanyahu has also said that there won't be any ceasefire without the return of the hostages. "There will be no ceasefire without the return of the hostages. This should be completely removed from the lexicon. We say this to our friends and to our enemies," he said.

Israel has also insisted that it has no plans to reoccupy Gaza. The Joe Biden administration in the United States has also expressed opposition to an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza, urging Israel to formulate a plan for the governance of the enclave once Hamas is removed from power. 

Israeli officials have emphasized the importance of maintaining a military presence in Gaza to serve as a protective buffer for Israeli civilians and to prevent the resurgence of Hamas. Since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, the region has experienced frequent rocket attacks and the threat of offensive attack tunnels. In response to these security concerns, Israeli forces have conducted operations to target Hamas's underground tunnels and military capabilities in Gaza.

Hamas-controlled Gaza health authorities reported a death toll of more than 10,000 people, including women and children, in the ongoing conflict. These figures are difficult to independently verify, as they may include Hamas terrorists killed both in Israel and Gaza, as well as those killed by rockets fired by terror groups within Gaza. (With agency inputs)