Tokyo: Palestinians other than Hamas members should administer the Gaza Strip after the current conflict between Israel and the Islamist group ends, Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen has indicated.

“If you think that Israel is going to reoccupy Gaza and sit there forever, no,” Cohen told Jiji Press in an interview in Tokyo on Thursday.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country will take full responsibility for the security of Gaza indefinitely after the end of the conflict. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israel against reoccupying Gaza on Wednesday.

Regarding the soaring civilian casualties in the conflict, Cohen said, “We do not want to have any civilian getting hit by us.”

But Hamas members hide in schools and hospital basements as they “want us to by mistake hit the civilians,” he said.

Cohen accused Hamas of deliberately targeting civilians in the massive cross-border attack Oct. 7, saying it was a war crime.

Observing that the conflict is significant also for people in Gaza, Cohen said that Hamas must be eliminated.

On Wednesday, the foreign ministers from the Group of Seven major powers issued a statement calling for the immediate release of hostages taken by Hamas after their meeting in Tokyo. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa chaired the meeting.

“I thank Ms. Kamikawa for caring and showing its (the G-7’s) solidarity with the people of Israel,” Cohen said.

JIJI Press