Jerusalem [Israel], November 11: Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will take control of the Gaza Strip after the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday.
"After the elimination of Hamas, there will be total Israeli security control of the Gaza Strip, including full demilitarization, to ensure that there is no longer a threat from Gaza to Israel's citizens," Netanyahu told mayors of Israeli towns near Gaza border during a meeting in Tel Aviv. "We will not give it (Gaza) to international forces," he said.
The meeting was held after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed early in the day that Palestinians "will not accept the reoccupation of Gaza or the annexation of any parts of it under any pretext" when addressing a ceremony in memory of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Abbas also called for the delivery of humanitarian aids, including medical supplies, food, water, electricity, and fuel, into the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the IDF continues its military operation in Gaza on Friday, mobilizing aerial, naval, and ground forces. Over the past day, Israeli troops raided and captured several Hamas outposts in Gaza City, killing about 150 militants, said the IDF. It has struck over 15,000 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip and seized over 6,000 weapons since the beginning of the conflict on Oct. 7, according to an IDF statement released on Friday.
Israeli army also struck targets in Syria early Friday morning, in response to a drone attack on the Red Sea city of Eilat on Thursday. Israel said the drone was launched from Syria. Lebanese military group Hezbollah confirmed seven of its members were killed in the IDF airstrikes.
Meanwhile, on the Israel-Lebanon border, five Israeli soldiers were injured, including four seriously, by anti-tank missile and drone attacks launched by Hezbollah. The IDF responded by carrying out airstrikes on Lebanon.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Friday that more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed since the outbreak of Israel-Hamas conflict. Meanwhile, at least 1,400 people in Israel were killed, and a total of 239 people were taken hostage during the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.
According to the Israeli police, the bodies of at least 870 civilians and 356 security forces have been identified.
Source: Xinhua