Of course "Israel has an interest in controlling Gaza." It was from Gaza that Hamas launched an unprovoked and genocidal act of barbarity, and they've kept up their terrorism with the support of Iran; fortunately, that's ending. That does not mean there is widespread sentiment in Israel to annex Gaza, though many on the far right in Israel would do so. The issue of control is tied to what sort of civilian rule is in Gaza after Hamas is eradicated. Right now, it's hard to imagine Israel would tolerate a dedicated passage across their nation to join the West Bank and Gaza. Any notion of a Palestinian state which includes Gaza is at least a generation away, thanks to October 7 and the antics of Iran's useful idiots in America. It's certainly possible to have a Palestinian State in the West Bank, and spend the next generation or more developing a brand new society in Gaza, from the ground up, free from Islamist extremism and terrorism. Annexation is not the solution in any way. Time is what is needed, and a lot of it.