Reoccupying Gaza ‘Not the right thing to do,’ White House tells Israel
The White House warned Israel on Tuesday against reoccupying Gaza after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested his country could assume a security role there “indefinitely” once the war is over.
“We are having active discussions with our Israeli counterparts about what post-conflict Gaza looks like,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “The president maintains his position that reoccupation by Israeli forces is not the right thing to do.”
The words of warning came after Mr Netanyahu said Israel should monitor the security of the Gaza Strip once the fighting is over to prevent future attacks. Mr Netanyahu, in an interview with ABC News, did not say who should run the enclave after Hamas, which now controls it, disappears. But he said he believed Israel would have “overall security responsibility” over the area indefinitely.
President Biden previously said it would be “a big mistake” if Israel were to reoccupy Gaza, from which it withdrew in 2005.
The United States has provided staunch support to Israel since the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas, which Israeli authorities say killed more than 1,400 people. A post-conflict Gaza, Mr Biden has said, ‘cannot be Hamas’ an organization whose founding covenant includes “killing the Jews.” and wipe out Israel. The United States and the European Union have designated Hamas as a terrorist group.
But as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, the United States is increasingly trying to balance its support for Israel with calls for the protection of Palestinian non-combatants and for “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting.
In just under a month, Israeli strikes have killed more than 10,000 people in Gaza and injured more than 25,000 others, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Monday. The figures from the ministry, which operates under the political arm of Hamas, could not be independently verified, but a Pentagon spokesman, Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder acknowledged that “we know the numbers are in the thousands.”
Mr. Biden spoke with Mr. Netanyahu on Sunday and discussed the need to speed up and increase humanitarian aid entering the enclave, Mr. Kirby said. “He also spoke about the importance of pauses in the fighting.”
Mr. Kirby also said that the White House “keeps in our thoughts and prayers the many, many thousands of innocent Palestinians who have been killed in the conflict since October 7, and many more who have been wounded and injured in the conduct of the operations. .”
“We are also aware of that suffering,” he said.
On Monday, Israel’s prime minister said he would consider “tactical small pauses” of about an hour to facilitate the access of humanitarian aid or allow the exit of hostages held by Hamas.
Asked whether the White House considers this sufficient, Mr. Kirby said: “It is consistent with the conversations we have had.”