Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday that Israel will fully reoccupy the Gaza Strip to eliminate the terrorist group Hamas and secure Israel’s borders.
In an interview with Fox News host Bill Hemmer, Netanyahu confirmed Israel’s intention to take control of Gaza:
“We intend to,” he said.
Netanyahu explained that the goal is to remove Hamas, establish security, and then hand control to Arab forces that “will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life.”
Not a Permanent Occupation
The Israeli leader stressed that Israel does not want to permanently govern Gaza, which it left in 2005 under a peace deal that allowed Hamas to seize control.
“We don’t want to keep it,” Netanyahu said. “We want to have a security perimeter… That’s not possible with Hamas.”
He also accused Hamas of deliberately causing civilian deaths and blocking humanitarian aid in order to push a “starvation policy.”
Trump’s February Plan for Gaza
Back in February, President Donald Trump proposed that the U.S. take over Gaza to remove Hamas, clear unexploded munitions, and redevelop the land for peaceful use.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump said.
Under Trump’s plan, Gaza residents would be temporarily resettled in neighboring countries like Egypt and Jordan during reconstruction, then return to repopulate the rebuilt territory.
Context
Israel withdrew from Gaza nearly 20 years ago, but the territory quickly became a launchpad for Hamas terrorism. The latest war has revived calls for direct control to secure peace—with Netanyahu now committing to decisive action.
