Netanyahu wouldn’t say who a new civilian government for Gaza was

Netanyahu’s “cultural change” has not been achieved in a six-week Israeli attack on Al-Shifa, the Gazan hospital

“We have to make sure that we don’t have a resurgence of terrorism after we defeat Hamas, and right now the only force that is able to do that is Israel,” Netanyahu said.

But the interview with Morning Edition’s Steve Inskeep was notable for what the prime minister did not say: who he thinks should govern the territory with a population of 2.3 million, now devastated by six weeks of Israeli bombing.

Israel is responding to an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 that killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials. Palestinian officials say the Israeli response has killed more than 11,000. Israeli troops this week took control of a major hospital center in northern Gaza.

Before October 7, Israel had allowed Hamas to rule Gaza so that it wouldn’t have to. Hamas can’t rule, according to Israel.

An Israeli military officer told NPR in November that the combination of local and international forces ought to govern Gaza, but no one has stepped forward to do so.

And he called for a similar “cultural change” in Gaza to those that took place in Germany and Japan when those countries transitioned from authoritarian rule to democracies after surrendering to the Allies. He added that any government in Gaza should be committed to fighting terrorism, not funding it.

This week, Israeli troops closed in on Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, which is the territory’s main hospital. Ground fighting, lack of fuel, and lack of medical supplies caused al-ShiFA to stop functioning.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israeli forces had found proof of their allegations about Al-Shifa. He said in an interview that there were a lot of terrorists at the hospital, but they fled as the forces approached the hospital.

Netanyahu said troops found weapons, ammunition, bombs and a “major” command center in the hospital, which he said Israel has now taken over. As troops moved in, they brought Arabic-speaking doctors and incubators with them.

The safeguards of the convention cannot be absolute. Human rights groups are still calling for a cease-fire, even though Netanyahu says it can’t happen until all hostages are released.

Israeli soldiers from the Seventh Brigade escorted journalists to see a stone-and-concrete shaft on the grounds of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Thursday.

But Col. Elad Tsury, commander of Israel’s Seventh Brigade, said Israeli forces, fearing booby traps, had not ventured down the shaft at the hospital, Al-Shifa. He said it had been discovered earlier in the day under a pile of sand on the northern perimeter of the complex.

In the dark, it was not obvious where the shaft led or how deep it was, although the military had said it had sent a drone down several meters. There were wires that were visible, along with a staircase.

He said they found a lot of weapons. A lot of projectiles were found. There were bombs found. We found on level minus-two a command and control center of Hamas, with military encoded encryption.”

The Times reporter and photographer were required to stay with Israeli troops for the duration of their visit in order to enter Gaza. They agreed not to take photos of soldiers faces, landmarks, maps, and details of weapons. The Times did not allow the Israeli military to screen its coverage before publication.

Colonel Tsury said the military had given food, supplies and equipment to patients, but it wasn’t clear if he was right.

The extent of the damage was not clear. But its main emergency building appeared intact, with electricity, after a dayslong siege that health officials say had resulted in increasingly dire conditions.

The Times visited a shooting area, which made the impression of gunfights in nearby streets. To enter the hospital grounds, special forces officers escorted journalists through the bombed-out remains of a building on the outskirts of the site; they said it was too dangerous to pass through the main gate.

Gaza was rendered unrecognizable after the destruction away from the hospital. Sections of the city’s seafront promenade had been razed to the ground, apartment blocks had been hollowed out by shelling and others flattened by airstrikes. Constant tank traffic had also churned the main coastal road into a bumpy dirt track.