Israel does not wish to rule the Gaza Strip: Blinken

Israel does not want to rule the Gaza Strip after the war with Hamas draws to a close, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday.

In an interview on NBC's Meet the Press, Blinken said from what he had heard from Israeli officials, Israel has "absolutely no intent, no desire, to be running Gaza themselves."

He noted that Israel had moved out of Gaza unilaterally "a couple of decades ago."

But the US diplomat emphasized that after the war there could be no return to the status quo. "You cannot be in a position where you are constantly exposed to the threat of the most terrible terrorist attacks from the Gaza Strip," said Blinken, referring to the Israelis.

"So something needs to be found that ensures that Hamas can't do this again, but that also doesn't revert to Israeli governance of Gaza, which they do not want and do not intend to do," Blinken added.

Israel's army has been bombing Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip since the bloody attacks by the Islamist Hamas.

At the weekend, the Israeli Air Force increased its attacks again in preparation for a ground offensive on Gaza. It is currently unclear what plan Israel has for the period after the expected ground offensive for the Gaza Strip is completed.