Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, has warned that if Hamas does not release all the hostages held in Gaza by March 10, an attack will be launched in Rafah.
This is the first time Israel has announced when its troops will enter the crowded southern city of Gaza.
Global opposition to such attacks in Rafah, where approximately 1.5 million Palestinians have fled, is growing.
Earlier, the United Nations health agency announced that the main hospital in the Gaza Strip had been rendered inoperable following Israeli attacks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that no one was allowed to enter Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, north of Rafah, to assess the situation.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) entered the facility Thursday and announced that intelligence indicated hostages captured by Hamas were being held there.
The IDF described the operation in Nasser as “precise and limited” and accused Hamas of “cynically using the hospital for terrorist purposes.” Gantz, a former defence minister, said on Sunday: “The world needs to know, and the Hamas leadership also needs to know.
If the hostages are not returned by Ramadan, fighting will continue everywhere, including in the Rafah region.” Told. Ramadan, Islam’s holy fasting month, begins on March 10th of this year.
Gantz added that Israel “will act in concert and in dialogue with our American and Egyptian partners to minimize civilian casualties and facilitate the evacuation of civilians.”
Rafah’s images show a huge explosion crater nearby. Without painkillers, patients will scream for hours”
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Israel’s wartime cabinet, made up of the country’s top security officials, says: The group was formed days after the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas-led militants that killed at least 1,200 people and took 253 hostages.
Israel believes Hamas is still holding about 130 hostages in the Gaza Strip.
However, Israeli authorities have not yet released details of the evacuation plan, he added.
Just three weeks before the start of Ramadan reports from Rafah say some people are making their way to the west coast, but most are still waiting and don’t know what to do.
Despite international pressure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to launch a ground offensive on Rafah to eliminate Hamas militants there.
Egypt and some other Arab countries have repeatedly warned that Israeli attacks risk driving large numbers of Palestinians into Egypt, which they consider unacceptable. Saudi Arabia announced that there would be “very serious consequences” if Rafah was attacked.
There have been multiple international warnings against Israel not to launch attacks in the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians live in dire conditions.
The United States, a key ally of Israel, said launching an operation in the city without proper planning would be a “disaster.”Israel’s attacks on Hamas since October 7 have reduced much of the Gaza Strip to rubble.