Reoccupying Gaza ‘Not the Right Thing to Do,’ White House Tells Israel

The White House cautioned Israel against reoccupying Gaza, saying that US President Joe Biden has maintained that reoccupation by Israeli forces is 'not the right thing to do'.

United States President Joe Biden.

Source : Getty

Israel-Gaza War: After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that Tel Aviv could hold a security role in Gaza “for an indefinite period” after the end of the war, the White House cautioned Israel on Tuesday against reoccupying the war-torn region, saying that US President Joe Biden has maintained that reoccupation by Israeli forces is "not the right thing to do".

Speaking to the reporters, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said, “We’re having active discussions with our Israeli counterparts about what post-conflict Gaza looks like,” as quoted by the New York Times. “The president maintains his position that reoccupation by Israeli forces is not the right thing to do,” he added.

This comes as Netanyahu stated that Israel would need to oversee the security of the Gaza Strip once the war is over to avoid attacks in the future. In an interview to ABC News, Netanyahu did not say who should govern the enclave after Hamas is gone. But he said he thought Israel would “have the overall security responsibility” over the territory indefinitely.

Biden had previously stated that it would be “a big mistake” for Tel Aviv to reoccupy Gaza, which it withdrew from in 2005.

Earlier, amid pressure for a ceasefire, Netanyahu said his country would consider "tactical little pauses" in Gaza fighting to facilitate the entry of aid or the exit of hostages, but once again rejected calls for a general ceasefire. On Monday, the Palestinian health ministry stated that around 10,022 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli offensive that started on October 7 after a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel.

The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres had denounced the bombings in Gaza as "graveyard" for children after the Israeli airstrikes killed over 10,000 Palestinians in the coastal strip.