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Israel Seeks Egypt's Agreement to Reopen the Rafah Border Crossing for Humanitarian Aid to Gaza
(CNBC) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNBC on Wednesday that Israel wants to keep the Rafah crossing open for humanitarian aid into Gaza. "We want to see it open. And we certainly want...to make sure that maximum humanitarian aid flows through this crossing and other crossings as well. And I hope we can come to an understanding with Egypt. [We would open] Rafah yesterday if we could....We're not holding up the opening of Rafah. I hope Egypt considers what I'm saying.... Nobody should hold the Palestinian population hostage in any way and I'm not holding them hostage." "You really need three things to finish this thing [with Hamas]. One, you need a victory over the organized fighting formations. Then you have mop ups. Then you have sustained demilitarization to make sure there's no terrorist resurgence, because you know, they're still trying to regroup." "What do you need then to reconstruct Gaza to have a different future so Gaza doesn't pose a threat to Israel anymore? You need to have three things. One, sustained demilitarization, and that can only be done by Israel intervening when it can when it sees another terrorist resurgence. The second thing you need is a civilian administration that is not Hamas and not beholden to the destruction of Israel. And I think that could be done with the assistance of Arab countries and the international community. And the third thing you need is reconstruction." "But you've got to clear Gaza of Hamas. You can't have a future for the Palestinians in Gaza or a future for Israel...if Hamas emerges victorious. And if it's undefeated, it emerges victorious."