Netanyahu says Israel will assume 'security responsibility' in Gaza for indefinite time

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel would assume “overall security responsibility” of the Gaza Strip for an indefinite period after its war with Hamas.

The comments are the most public pushback against US President Joe Biden’s warning last month against Israel reoccupying the Gaza Strip.

They also come after the US floated plans that saw a potential role for neighbouring Arab states and the international community to assume a security role in Gaza.

Netanyahu’s comments are another sign Israel is gearing up for a protracted stay in the Gaza Strip.

“I think Israel for an indefinite period will have the overall security responsibility, because we’ve seen what happens when we don’t have it,” Netanyahu told ABC News.

“When we don’t have that security responsibility, what we have is the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale that we couldn’t imagine.”