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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Israel cannot reoccupy the Gaza Strip when the latest round of conflict concludes.
Mr Blinken, who made the comments after a meeting of the Group of Seven foreign ministers in Japan on Wednesday, gave the clearest picture yet of the US vision for a post-war Gaza.
He said a future Gaza cannot be run by Hamas, as that “that simply invites a repetition of October 7 and Gaza used it as a place from which to launch terrorist attacks".
But Mr Blinken added: “It's also clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza.”
Israeli leaders have floated the idea that a buffer zone inside the Gaza Strip may be necessary to better protect Israel from attacks.
Mark Regev, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, repeated the idea on Tuesday.
“I believe there will be a buffer zone,” Mr Regev told PBS. “There needs to be, after what we have been through.”
On Wednesday, Mr Blinken appeared to rebuff that idea.
“No reoccupation of Gaza after the conflict ends,” Mr Blinken said. “No attempt to blockade or besiege Gaza. No reduction in the territory of Gaza.”
Israel occupied Gaza after the 1967 war and only withdrew in August 2005. The country has enforced a strict blockade on the densely populated enclave since Hamas came to power in 2007.
Israel has said its goal is to completely destroy Hamas, something Washington has consistently supported since the militant group launched its attack on October 7.
“We’ve said before, we need to see and get to, in effect, unity of governance when it comes to Gaza and the West Bank, and ultimately to a Palestinian state,” Mr Blinken said.
Israel Gaza war one month on – in pictures
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A girl stands by the rubble outside a building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Rafah, Gaza. AFP -
Thick smoke rises following an Israeli air strike on Gaza city. Reuters -
Palestinians watch rescue efforts following an Israeli strike on the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza. AFP -
Kibbutz Nir Oz resident Hadas Kalderon, whose children were taken hostage breaks down. Her mother and niece were also killed. Getty Images -
Image grab from a video released by Hamas shows three Israeli women held hostage in Gaza. AP -
President Biden is welcomed by Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu, as he visits Israel. Reuters -
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken departs the International Zone after meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani in Baghdad. Reuters -
Palestinians wait to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing. AP -
A Palestinian woman walks past tents after fleeing their homes amid Israeli strikes. Many opted to take shelter in a tent camp at a UN-run centre. Reuters -
Palestinians, who have fled their homes due to Israeli strikes take shelter in a UN-run school. Reuters -
A Palestinian man stirs one of several large cooking pots simmering on wooden fires due to the lack of cooking gas. AFP -
A child is recovered from the rubble of a residential building levelled in an Israeli air strike, in Khan Younis. EPA -
Rockets are fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel following Israeli air strikes on Gaza city. AP -
Smoke rises across Gaza as the Israeli army conducts air attacks. Reuters -
A Palestinian man surveys a destroyed area after Israeli air strikes in Gaza city. EPA -
A wounded Palestinian woman and her child are wheeled into the Nasser hospital following Israeli strikes in Khan Younis. AFP -
Palestinians wait to collect the bodies of their relatives outside the Nasser Hospital. AFP -
Palestinians who were killed are buried in Rafah, Gaza. Reuters -
A Palestinian child is treated in Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah. AP -
A man mourns as bodies are returned to relatives for burial. Reuters -
Wounded Palestinians lie on the floor in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza city after arriving from al-Ahli Hospital following an explosion there. AP -
A doctor at Al Ahli Hospital after an air strike in Gaza city. EPA -
People head to Place de la Republique for a pro-Palestinian protest in Paris. Reuters -
Members of the Jewish community and supporters of Israel attend a rally in New York calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas. AFP -
A man waves a Palestinian flag from atop Neptune Fountain during a "Freedom for Palestine" protest at Alexanderplatz in Berlin. Getty Images -
The scene of destruction at Al Ahli hospital after an air strike in Gaza city. EPA -
Debris of Orthodox Cultural Centre at Tel Al Hawa after it was hit by an Israeli air strike in Gaza city. Reuters -
Palestinians collect water with their carts from a water desalination plant, amid water shortages. Reuters -
A view of Gaza amid widespread power cuts after the main power plant ran out of fuel and shut down. Reuters -
Al-Shifa Hospital following an Israeli air strike at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza city. Reuters -
Palestinians flee following an Israeli air strike in Gaza. EPA -
Scores of injured people were taken to Al-Shifa Hospital following an Israeli air strike on Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza city. Reuters -
A Palestinian man walks amid the rubble of buildings hit in Israeli air strikes in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP -
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalia refugee camp. Reuters -
An injured man in front of a smouldering building in the aftermath of an Israeli strike. AFP -
Palestinians gather during the funeral of several men killed during an overnight raid by the Israeli army at the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. AFP -
A screen grab shows Hamas targeting Israeli tanks. Reuters
