JERUSALEM
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Monday that Israel and the Palestinian Authority should consider placing the Gaza Strip under U.N control.
"Everyone is asking, what happens after the operation ends," Lieberman was quoted as saying by the Israeli media, referring to the ongoing Israeli onslaught against the blockaded Palestinian enclave.
"There are a few options. International control of Gaza by the U.N. should certainly be considered," he said.
"It requires an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority," added Lieberman, who is also the leader of the Yisrael Beitenu Party.
He suggested the measure does not require consent from the U.N.
Lieberman asserted, meanwhile, that the Israeli military operation in Gaza is not over yet.
"No decision to end the military operation," said the Israeli foreign minister.
"We will continue destroying the tunnels and redeploy the army," he added.
Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip – home to 1.8 million people – since July 7 with the stated aim of halting rocket fire.
At least 1823 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed and 9420 wounded in unrelenting Israeli attacks since then.
The offensive – codenamed "Operation Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populate coastal enclave within the last six years.
www.aa.com.tr/en
