Netanyahu hints at opposing return of Palestinian Authority rule in Gaza

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted Saturday he would not allow the return of the Palestinian Authority to rule the Gaza Strip if the Israeli war on the enclave ends with ousting Hamas from power.

“There cannot be an authority that pays the families of murderers based on the number they murdered. There cannot be an authority whose leader still has not condemned the terrible massacre 30 days later,” Netanyahu said while answering questions in a news conference, referencing the Palestinian Authority and its leader, Mahmoud Abbas.

He said Israel will keep its security control over Gaza "including the capacity to go in whenever we want to eliminate terrorists who may pop up again."

Netanyahu's stance is in contradiction with the US position regarding Gaza which believes the territory must have "Palestinian governance, Gaza unified with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority."

Hamas, which has been ruling Gaza since 2007, said several times it rejects plans touted by Tel Aviv and Washington on how the Gaza Strip might be governed after Israel's war ends.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip -- including hospitals, residences, and houses of worship -- since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 11,078 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,506 children and 3,027 women.

The Israeli death toll is nearly 1,200, according to official figures.