Not occupying, going to free Gaza from Hamas: Netanyahu

TEL AVIV: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday defended his government’s vexed proposal of taking control of the Gaza strip, following the approval of Israel’s Security Cabinet to establish a “civil administration” in the Gaza Strip.

In a post on X, Netanyahu clarified that the aim of the proposals was not to occupy the Gaza territory but to eliminate Hamas and establish a peaceful alternative administration.

“We are not going to occupy Gaza – we are going to free Gaza from Hamas,” Netanyahu said, amid the growing international scrutiny of Israel’s military intentions in the region.

Earlier today, the Israeli Security Cabinet approved Prime Minister Netanyahu’s proposal for the establishment of a “civil administration” in the Gaza Strip, which will be neither in control of Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.

In a statement, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office stated that the Israeli “Security Cabinet has approved the Prime Minister’s proposal for defeating Hamas.”

According to the proposal, the Security Cabinet had adopted “five principles” to conclude the war, which include the “disarming of Hamas”, the “return of all the hostages”, the “demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip”, “Israeli security control of the Gaza Strip”, and the “establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority”.

Netanyahu further stated in his post that the long-term objective is the full demilitarisation of Gaza and the establishment of a new civilian administration that would not involve Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, or any other group classified by Israel as a terrorist organisation.

“Gaza will be demilitarised, and a peaceful civilian administration will be established, one that is not the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, and not any other terrorist organisation. This will help free our hostages and ensure Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future,” he added.

Meanwhile, the German government has announced that it will suspend all military equipment exports to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip, citing growing humanitarian concerns and increasing ambiguity around Israel’s military objectives in the ongoing conflict.

The announcement was made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a series of posts on X, where he stated that while Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorism, the latest military escalation by the Israeli security cabinet has raised serious questions.

“Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas’ terror. The release of the hostages and negotiations on a ceasefire are our top priorities. The disarmament of Hamas is imperative – Hamas must not be allowed to play a role in Gaza in future,” Merz stated.

“The new military push agreed by the Israeli security cabinet makes it increasingly unclear how these goals are to be achieved. The German Government will, until further notice, authorise no military equipment exports that can be used in the Gaza Strip,” he added. (ANI)