JERUSALEM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said Israel will have the overall security responsibility of the Gaza Strip after its current conflict with Hamas ends.

His office in a statement said he met local council leaders of Gaza's adjacent communities in Tel Aviv, and told them that “after eliminating Hamas, there will be complete Israeli security control over the Gaza Strip, including complete disarmament, to ensure that there is no threat from the Strip to the citizens of Israel.”

“There is a great determination here on your part and on the part of the government to return to the way things were before the war,” Netanyahu said, adding: “First of all, restoring security - making sure that Hamas does not exist and that Hamas does not return.”

Israel has repeatedly announced that the goal of the war, which it started last month after the Palestinian group's surprise attack, is to end Hamas's rule in Gaza, eliminate its military capabilities, and bring back hostages.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi