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Senior Israeli Official Says Multiple Countries Interested in Taking in Gazans
(Ynet News) Lazar Berman - A senior Israeli official briefing reporters during Prime Minister Netanyahu's trip to Hungary said Friday that Jerusalem is in contact with multiple countries about taking in Palestinians from Gaza. He cited a poll that found 60% of Gazans are interested in emigrating. "Gaza is in ruins - because of Hamas, not because of us," he said. But Israel is not interested in permanently occupying the area. While Israel will retain overall security control over Gaza, it wants to transfer control to a "consortium of Arab countries" led by the Gulf states who would manage the area until further notice, he said. Amid reports of Israeli airstrikes on bases in Syria that Turkey was seeking to use, the official said, "We are not looking for conflict with Turkey. And we hope they're not looking for a fight with us. At the same time, we don't want Turkey establishing itself on our borders. Establishing military bases, naval and air bases under Turkish protection is something we want to prevent. There are red lines." Regarding new tariffs on Israel imposed by the U.S., he said he discussed the issue with President Trump during a phone call on Thursday. "I believe we will enter a dialogue with them....In the end, most of it is solvable." (Times of Israel) The official reiterated that "In the end, there will be no Hamas in Gaza, and no Iranian bases within striking distance of our cities." Regarding the hostages, the official revealed that, at the start of the war, some security officials doubted any hostages could be rescued, but "so far, we've rescued 147 hostages alive. At least 21 are still alive [in Gaza]." Addressing accusations that Netanyahu initiated Qatari funding to Hamas, the official clarified that the transfers began under former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and were later supported by all Israeli security organizations to prevent a humanitarian collapse in Gaza. "This funding replaced financial aid once provided by the Palestinian Authority, which Mahmoud Abbas cut off. The idea was to prevent a humanitarian disaster, not to buy serenity." Discussing Iran, the official said, "We want to ensure Iran never gets nuclear weapons. Whether a diplomatic solution is possible, I'm doubtful."