TOKYO, November 8. /TASS/. The Gaza Strip cannot be administered by the radical Hamas movement or Israel in the future, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

"Gaza cannot be continued to be run by Hamas. That simply invites repetition of October 7. <…> 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," Blinken said. He pointed out that discussions are underway on how to secure and establish Palestinian state control over Gaza and the West Bank.

The top US diplomat emphasized that he realized during the talks that Israel "has no intent to reoccupy Gaza." However, he also allowed for the possibility that the situation might not return to the status quo before tensions escalated on October 7.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking more than 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.