Former US envoy for peace in the Middle East, Dennis Ross, said on Saturday that the war between Israel and Hamas “will not end unless the Palestinian movement’s rule of the Gaza Strip ends,” expressing his desire to see “Gaza and the West Bank under one authority.”

In an interview with Al-Hurra TV, Ross said, “A ceasefire necessarily means ending the conflict, which leaves Hamas in a position where it can build its power again,” adding: “A temporary humanitarian truce must be established to bring in aid without there being a complete ceasefire.” ".

He added: "There is understandable humanitarian concern in the world about what is happening in the war between Israel and Hamas... but Israel cannot live under this threat after what happened on October 7, and Hamas' infrastructure must be eliminated to prevent its continued control over the Gaza Strip."

Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist organization in the United States and a number of countries, has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007.

Ross said, "Ending control over Hamas is a realistic goal for the war, which could lead to a transitional phase for the Strip, before a new administration is in place."

However, Ross believed that Hamas “has a strong point in the issue of the kidnapped,” noting that Israel “needs a delicate balance between inflicting a military defeat on Hamas and recovering the kidnapped.”

He continued to Al-Hurra: “There must be a transitional phase in Gaza led by efforts from the Palestinian Authority, and there must be a political path for the Palestinians to build a two-state solution,” after the end of the war.

He explained, "There will be no future for the Palestinians with the presence of Hamas, which is working to develop tunnels and continues to fight for its own goals."

Israel had declared war with the aim of "eliminating Hamas", in response to attacks carried out by the Palestinian movement on towns surrounding the Gaza Strip.

On October 7, Hamas launched an attack on Israel by launching thousands of rockets and infiltrating towns and areas surrounding the Gaza Strip, killing more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, including women and children.

Israel responded to the attack with intense bombing of Gaza and a ground incursion, which caused the death of more than 9,227 Palestinians, the majority of whom were civilians, including women and children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Ross said that the future management of the Strip “must be under one authority with the West Bank,” adding: “This is something that will not happen quickly, because the Palestinian Authority needs reforms.”

He continued by saying that the Palestinian Authority "must have a better and transparent administration, capable of reducing corruption, and this is essential in order to bring the West Bank and Gaza together."