Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Gaza will not be rebuilt unless it is fully demilitarized, making clear that Israel intends to control the territory’s future and violating Trump's ceasefire. He spoke at a press conference on Tuesday after months of heavy Israeli bombardment of the enclave.
Netanyahu said reconstruction before “demilitarization” will not happen. He closed the door on rebuilding efforts and dismissed proposals to deploy international forces in Gaza. “I hear that we will bring in Turkish soldiers and Qatari soldiers into Gaza. This too will not happen,” he said.
He also rejected any prospect of Palestinian statehood in Gaza. “I hear that I will allow the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza. This did not happen, and it will not happen,” Netanyahu added.
During the same remarks, Netanyahu said Israel is focused on disarming Hamas across the entire Gaza Strip. He said this goal would be achieved “the easy way or the hard way,” according to his wording.
Hamas political bureau member Suhail al-Hindi responded to the statements, saying the issue of weapons is a Palestinian national decision tied directly to the continuation of Israeli occupation. In an interview with Al Jazeera Mubasher, al-Hindi said he followed part of Netanyahu’s speech and described it as a misleading narrative that portrays the Israeli army as moral and humanitarian.
Al-Hindi said this portrayal has no basis in reality. He stressed that weapons cannot be separated from the reality of occupation and said the decision belongs to all Palestinian factions and the Palestinian people. He added that as long as occupation continues on Palestinian land, resistance remains inevitable.
He said any remaining weapons, if they exist, fall under personal defensive arms. Al-Hindi said such weapons exist in homes around the world for self-defense, especially as Gaza still suffers from criminal gangs that Israel created.
Al-Hindi stated that Israel violates the agreement. He pointed to continued killings, closed crossings, and failure to implement the humanitarian protocol. He said 503 Palestinians have been killed since the agreement was signed, with more than 325 wounded.
Al-Hindi concluded by saying that the resistance’s commitment does not reflect weakness. He said the Palestinian people will not raise a white flag and will not submit, adding that they refuse to be broken or silenced.
