The Gaza Strip cannot be administered by the radical Hamas movement or Israel in the future, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
"Gaza cannot be continued to be run by Hamas. That simply invites repetition of October 7. <…> It's also clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza. <…> Now, the reality is that there may be a need for some transition period at the end of the conflict," Blinken said. He pointed out that discussions are underway on how to secure and establish Palestinian state control over Gaza and the West Bank.
The top US diplomat emphasized that he realized during the talks that Israel "has no intent to reoccupy Gaza." However, he also allowed for the possibility that the situation might not return to the status quo before tensions escalated on October 7.
Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking more than 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.
AL JAZEERA reports: Gaza cannot be run by either Israel or Hamas once the continuing conflict is over, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said, reiterating the stance of the White House.
Speaking to reporters after G7 foreign ministers held talks in Japan on Wednesday, Blinken listed “key elements” necessary to create “durable peace and security,” with the US appearing keen to open a conversation on post-conflict scenarios.
There should be “no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, not now, not after the war; no use of Gaza as a platform for terrorism or other violent attacks; no reoccupation of Gaza after the conflict ends,” he stressed.
The US official also warned against an “attempt to blockade or besiege Gaza” or any “reduction in the territory of Gaza”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested on Monday that Israel would take control of security in Gaza after the war.
However, US officials said the following day that President Joe Biden does not support “a reoccupation by Israeli forces”.
Blinken doubled down on that message. He also reiterated Washington’s view that Gaza could not be run by Hamas, the group that currently rules the enclave.
“That simply invites repetition of October 7,” he said, referring to the group’s deadly attack on Israel that prompted the retaliatory bombardment of Gaza that has killed more than 10,000 people in the Palestinian territory.
“Now, the reality is that there may be a need for some transition period at the end of the conflict … We don’t see a reoccupation and what I’ve heard from Israeli leaders, is that they have no intent to reoccupy Gaza,” he added.