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MIDDLE EAST CRISIS

Binyamin Netanyahu: Israel must control Gaza’s Egypt border

The United States has sought to persuade Israel to allow the Palestinian Authority to take over responsibility for Gaza
Catherine Philp
, Tel Aviv | Amal Helles, Rafah
The Times
According to the UN, more than 100,000 people have fled to Rafah since Israel stepped up attacks on central Gaza
According to the UN, more than 100,000 people have fled to Rafah since Israel stepped up attacks on central Gaza
AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Catherine Philp
, Tel Aviv | Amal Helles, Rafah
The Times

Binyamin Netanyahu has vowed to ­retake control of the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt, effectively reversing Israel’s withdrawal in 2005 that paved the way for Hamas to take over.

“The war is at its height,” the Israeli prime minister told reporters at a press conference which his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and unity ­government partner, Benny Gantz, ­refused to attend following disagreements over talks about the future of ­Gaza.

Netanyahu told reporters that the buffer zone along Gaza’s border with Egypt, currently crammed with hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians, must be placed in Israeli hands.

“It is clear that any other arrangement would not ensure the demilitarisation that we seek,” he said.

On Sunday, the Israeli military said it would release some reservists who