US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday urged Israel to develop a plan for post-war governance in Gaza, warning that a lack of one will lead to “a vacuum that’s likely to be filled by chaos, anarchy, and ultimately by Hamas again.”

In an interview with CBS’s “Meet the Nation,” Blinken cautioned that while Israel might achieve initial success in a potential military operation in Rafah, the “high cost to civilians” would not be worth it. He emphasized that without a plan for who will take over Gaza after Hamas is defeated, Israel “will be left holding the bag on an enduring insurgency because a lot of armed Hamas [fighters] will be left, no matter what they do in Rafah.”

Blinken’s comments echoed previous statements from the Biden administration encouraging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to develop and announce a “day after” strategy for Gaza’s management after the war. The administration has offered to share sensitive intelligence on senior Hamas leaders’ whereabouts if Israel agrees to hold off on its planned military operation in Rafah.

Netanyahu’s government has faced criticism for its refusal to make a plan for Gaza’s management, with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi reportedly criticizing the prime minister for failing to do so. Netanyahu has rejected efforts to include the Palestinian Authority in post-war planning, citing concerns about its acceptance of Israel’s existence and promotion of hatred towards the Jewish state.

“We have the same objective as Israel,” Blinken said. “We want to make sure that Hamas cannot govern Gaza again. We want to make sure it’s demilitarized. We want to make sure that Israel gets [Hamas’s] leaders… We have a different way, and we think a more effective, durable way of getting that done. We remain in conversation with Israel about exactly that.”

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