Israel-Gaza war live updates: Blinken says Israel should not reoccupy Gaza after war

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel should not reoccupy Gaza, pushing back at an assertion by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel could assume responsibility for Gaza’s security “for an indefinite period.” Blinken did leave open the possibility of a “transition period” after the war ends. “Gaza cannot continue to be run by Hamas,” Blinken told reporters in Tokyo, after meeting with European, Canadian and Japanese foreign ministers and broadening a call for “humanitarian pauses” in the Israeli assault on Gaza. “It’s also clear that Israel cannot occupy Gaza. Now the reality is that there may be a need for some transition period at the end of the conflict, but it is imperative that the Palestinian people be central to the governance of Gaza and the West Bank.” Netanyahu’s comments in an ABC interview this week that Israel may “for an indefinite period” have overall security responsibility for Gaza set off red flags for the Biden administration, who believe that Israel needs to avoid any suggestion of an open-ended occupation, U.S. officials said on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal discussions.