Netanyahu Says Israel Will Take Control of Gaza Strip Indefinitely, Despite Biden Admin Pleas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that 🇮🇱Israel will have an “indefinite” presence in the Gaza Strip going forward, despite the Biden administration’s pleas not to occupy the region, ABC News reported Monday.

🇮🇱Israel continues to launch airstrikes and increase its ground assault in Gaza in an effort to root out Hamas, which killedover 1,400 Israelis and kidnapped hundreds of civilians on Oct. 7. Netanyahu said that 🇮🇱Israel will take control of Gaza’s security indefinitely and that a “general ceasefire” with Hamas is off the table unless all hostages are released, during an interview with ABC’s David Muir.

“President Biden has said that it would be a mistake to occupy Gaza,” Muir said. “Who should govern Gaza when this is over?”

“🇮🇱Israel will, for an indefinite period, have the overall security responsibility,” Netanyahu responded. “We’ve seen what happened when we don’t have that … what we have is the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale we couldn’t imagine.”