Israeli minister: If our hostages are not at home by Ramadan, there will be fighting in Rafah
The Israeli authorities have repeatedly stated that the goal of their military operation in the Gaza Strip is the release of all hostages and the destruction of Hamas. And at the moment, the Israeli army is advancing to the south of the enclave, where more than half of Gazans are concentrated in the city of Rafah and its environs.
However, despite this, Israel resolutely declares that it will continue military operations in this area if Hamas does not release the hostages. In particular, this opinion was expressed by the Minister in the Israeli War Cabinet Benny Gantz, speaking at a conference of the leadership of US Jewish organizations in Jerusalem.
Hamas has until the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan (March 10) to release the hostages, Gantz said. Otherwise, Israel will expand its military operation in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Gantz said.
Responding to criticism of a possible operation in Rafah, which would obviously lead to heavy civilian casualties, Gantz said that if Hamas militants surrender and release the hostages, “Gazans will be able to celebrate the holy holiday of Ramadan.”
In Rafah and its environs, according to some estimates, there are more than a million Palestinians, many of whom fled from other areas of Gaza, where the Israeli army has, so to speak, already visited.
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