Israel will launch its announced offensive against Hamas in March if that Palestinian terrorist group does not release the hostages it holds in Gaza by the start of Ramadan, Israeli Minister Benny Gantz, a member of the war cabinet, warned on Sunday.
“The world should know this, and Hamas leaders should know this: if our hostages are not home by Ramadan, fighting will continue everywhere, including the Rafah area,” Gantz told a conference of American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. .
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan should begin on March 10.
It is the first time that the Israeli government has set a deadline for its assault on the city where most of the 1.7 million displaced Palestinians take refuge.
Foreign governments, fearing carnage, have urged Israel to avoid attacking Rafah, the last city in the Gaza Strip that has not been invaded by ground troops in the four-month war.
Despite international pressure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists the war cannot end without entering Rafah, and on Sunday vowed to “finish the job until total victory” over the Islamist movement, with or without a deal. about the hostages.
Gantz added that the offensive will be carried out in a coordinated manner to facilitate evacuation and “minimize civilian casualties to the extent possible.” But he did not make clear where civilians would be relocated in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, international mediators have been trying to negotiate a truce agreement for weeks, although Qatar admitted over the weekend that the prospects for such an agreement have diminished.
The United States, Israel’s key ally, has pushed for a six-week truce in exchange for the release of 130 hostages Israel believes remain in Gaza, including 30 who have reportedly died.
Some 250 people were detained on October 7, when Hamas fighters launched an unprecedented attack against Israel that left 1,160 dead, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel’s military response has left at least 28,858 dead, mostly women and children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, a territory ruled by Hamas.
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