Tel Aviv, Aug. 8 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, August 8, affirmed that Israel's objective is not to occupy Gaza but to free the enclave from Hamas control.

"We are not going tooccupy Gaza- we are going to free Gaza from Hamas," Netanyahu wrote in a statement on X.

"Gaza will be demilitarized, and a peaceful civilian administration will be established, one that is not the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, and not any other terrorist organization. This will help free our hostages and ensure Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future."

"This will help free our hostages and ensure Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future," he added.

Netanyahu made these remarks during a phone call with German ...