Only Egyptian control of Gaza can stop Hamas’ return to power, says Israeli Opposition leader Yair Lapid

The only way to prevent the return of Hamas to power in the Gaza Strip is Egypt’s takeover of the Palestinian enclave, according to former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who is currently the Leader of Opposition in the Israeli parliament.

In a speech in the parliament, Lapid on Monday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of joining hands with Qatar and Turkey in the Gaza deal.

Instead of partnering with Egypt, which is “a country that fights the Muslim Brotherhood’s terrorism”, Netanyahu “brought Turkey and Qatar into Gaza, the ideological partners of the Muslim Brotherhood”, said Lapid, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Hamas has its roots in the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist movement that has been designated as a terrorist organisation by several countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Qatar and Turkey, however, are known to have been patrons of the group to advance their Islamist objectives in the region.

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‘Netanyahu does not know how to defeat Hamas’

Lapid said that Hamas not been defeated in Gaza and Netanyahu is the reason for the failure.

“Hamas has not been defeated because Netanyahu does not know how to defeat it. The way to defeat it is to bring in an effective Egyptian authority in its place and to conduct a sustained military and diplomatic effort with the understanding that we will not stop until Hamas is destroyed, even if it takes time,” said Lapid.

Defeating Hamas in Gaza was the main goal of Israel’s war along with securing the release of hostages. Netanyahu failed to achieve both objectives on its own.

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Lapid further said that “the only way to prevent Hamas from reasserting control over Gaza” was to have Egypt take over the strip’s management".

Lapid said, “For more than a year, I have said to this government: if you do not propose an alternative authority in Gaza, Hamas will return, and the world will impose on us a solution we do not want.”

Lapid said that Israel must secure assurances from the Donald Trump administration of the United States that Qatar and Turkey must not be part of any administration in Gaza.

Lapid added that Netanyahu “must stop playing games with humanitarian aid”.

Lapid said, “This whole process of stopping aid and then renewing it is not serious. It lacks strategy, and it only hurts us. It helps Hamas,” said Lapid.