The United States announced on Tuesday its opposition to a new, long-term occupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel, after its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the responsibility for “comprehensive security” of the besieged Strip falls on them after the end of the war.

US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel stated that the American view is that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, adding that they do not support any forced resettlement of Palestinians outside Gaza, and that it is not something on the table.

At the same time, Patel stressed the need for Israel and the region to be safe, and added that Gaza cannot be a base for launching attacks that he described as “terrorist” against Israel, he said.

Strategic Policy Coordinator at the US National Security Council, John Kirby, stressed that their support for Israel does not necessarily mean agreeing with it to reoccupy Gaza.

Kirby indicated that they are discussing the future of governance in Gaza in the period after the rule of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and that they will not accept the situation returning to what it was before the war, as he put it.

The White House also stated that Hamas cannot be part of the future in Gaza, and consultations are underway regarding the form of governance there.

For his part, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said after the US State Department's statements that Israel does not want to rule Gaza or impose civil administration in the Strip.

He added that they are looking forward to handing over the rule of Gaza to an alliance that includes America, Europe, Islamic countries, or local leaders in the Strip.

Netanyahu confirmed during an interview with the American ABC News channel yesterday, Monday, that Israel will assume, for an indefinite period, overall security responsibility in Gaza, saying that when they do not assume security in Gaza, they will face Hamas attacks on a scale they cannot imagine.