Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
International

Israel doesn’t want to rule Gaza after war, says Netanyahu’s advisor

Darpan News Desk IANS, 21 Nov, 2023 12:53 PM
  • Israel doesn’t want to rule Gaza after war, says Netanyahu’s advisor

New Delhi, Nov 21 (IANS) Israel is not looking to occupy Gaza after its ongoing war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas ends, an Israeli government official said on Tuesday.

“We don’t want to occupy Gaza. We don’t want to rule over Gaza,” Mark Regev, a senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told an online media briefing on the war.

“We insist, however, that Gaza must be demilitarised.”

The war started after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people in massacres across towns and villages in the country’s south, and firing rockets into Israel.

More than 12,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes and the siege of the coastal enclave, according to the media in the Middle East, citing the Hamas-run health ministry.

Regev said a Palestinian government could be formed in the future after Hamas is removed from the enclave.

“Hamas has brought bloodshed and impoverishment to the people of Gaza.”

Israel’s international partners will want to rebuild Gaza, Regev said, adding that Arab countries will be part of the rebuilding process.

“Hamas has no friends in the Arab world other than Qatar,” he said of the country where Hamas’ leadership reportedly lives.

Israel’s victory would be a win for those seeking peace in the region, Regev added.

Even as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intensify their operations in Gaza after 46 days of the war, the Israeli government has not stated clearly its plan for the enclave once the fighting stops.

While the IDF pursues its goal of destroying Hamas infrastructure in Gaza, as it describes the military operations, Israel is engaged in negotiations to free some 238 hostages, including children and the elderly, from Hamas captivity.

And, if the backroom talks, which also involve Qatar and the United States, lead to an agreement on the release of hostages, then Israel would likely agree to a short pause.

“We will agree to a temporary ceasefire if our hostages are released,” Regev said.

He said international humanitarian organisations such as the Red Cross were not allowed by Hamas to visit the hostages to assess their wellbeing.

When asked if Israel has proof of life of the hostages, Regev said that “no information on their condition” is available but that Israel has gathered its own intelligence.

The hostages should be released unconditionally, he said.

So far, there is no indication that Israel would consider any deal whereby the hostages are swapped for Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported earlier that the families of some of the hostages have urged Netanyahu to agree to such an exchange.

MORE International ARTICLES

Indian student battles for life after car crash in US

Indian student battles for life after car crash in US
Within 10 days of the accident, Sharma has undergone four brain surgeries and is in the intensive care unit, hooked up to IVs and life support systems. Back home in India, Sharma's parents are anxiously waiting for their US visa to be approved.

Indian student battles for life after car crash in US

After Patel's death, another Indian-origin retailer's store targeted in NZ

After Patel's death, another Indian-origin retailer's store targeted in NZ
Close on the heels of dairy worker Jayesh Patel's fatal stabbing in Auckland last week, an Indian-origin store owner was targeted in New Zealand, and his staff was attacked by four young men. 

After Patel's death, another Indian-origin retailer's store targeted in NZ

5 dead, 25 injured in US nightclub shooting, suspect held

5 dead, 25 injured in US nightclub shooting, suspect held
At least five people were killed and 25 others injured when a gunman, currently in police custody, opened fire inside a gay nightclub in the US state of Colorado, authorities said. The first officer arrived at midnight and the suspect, identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, was detained two minutes later. 

5 dead, 25 injured in US nightclub shooting, suspect held

Indian-origin man jailed for cheating Football Association of Singapore

Indian-origin man jailed for cheating Football Association of Singapore
Shankar Suppiah, 45, who admitted to five counts of cheating, was the sole proprietor of All Resource Network (ARN), which has specialised in event management and the sale of sporting and recreational goods since 2017. At the time of the offences, ARN was a supplier of the FAS, which is Singapore's governing body for football and is responsible for advancing the sport here and managing the national team. 

Indian-origin man jailed for cheating Football Association of Singapore

5 Indian-Americans selected for Rhodes Scholarship 2023

5 Indian-Americans selected for Rhodes Scholarship 2023
Shreyas Hallur, Atharv Gupta, Veer Sangha, Amisha Kambath, and Jupneet Singh are among 32 scholars who will begin their graduate studies at Oxford in October next year. The Rhodes Scholarship is a fully funded, full time graduate fellowship awarded by the University of Oxford since 1903. 

5 Indian-Americans selected for Rhodes Scholarship 2023

Funds raised for Sikh driver 'murdered' in UK

Funds raised for Sikh driver 'murdered' in UK
Singh, 59, a private hire driver working for ABC Cars, was pronounced dead in Nine Elms Lane, Wolverhampton, on October 30 after he was discovered with serious injuries. Tomasz Margol, 35, of Bamford Road was charged with Singh's murder, and produced before the Wolverhampton Crown Court earlier this month.

Funds raised for Sikh driver 'murdered' in UK