Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told American media that Israel does not plan to build settlements in the Gaza Strip after the end of the war there.

Netanyahu said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday: “Resettlement in Gaza... was never on the table.” “Some of my constituents are not happy about it, but that’s my position.”

Many right-wing ministers in Netanyahu's coalition have repeatedly called for resettlement in the Strip through the presence of Jewish settlers, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir even announced on Tuesday that he would like to live there himself.

Netanyahu told CNN: “Once the Palestinian armed organization Hamas is defeated, sustainable disarmament must be achieved in the Gaza Strip,” adding that “the only force that can prevent the return of terrorism in the foreseeable future is Israel,” as he put it.

Netanyahu added that he wants there to be a civil administration in Gaza run by Palestinians from Gaza themselves, but on the condition that they do not belong to Hamas or seek to destroy Israel.