Jerusalem: A member of the Israeli war cabinet, Benny Gantz, stated that the country would continue its operations on Gaza even during the holy month of Ramadan. In a recorded statement on Friday, he said that the offensive inside the enclave would not stop until all Israeli captives held by Hamas were released, Turkey's state-run media Anadolu Ajansi reported.
"The fire could continue into the month of Ramadan," the agency quoted Gantz.
The holy month of Ramadan starts early this March, and Muslims across the world will be observing the same. However, Gazans would be forced to live in terror, hunger and disease through the holy month if an agreement is not reached on a ceasefire.
According to Anadolu Ajansi, talks for a ceasefire and prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas have not reached success so far.
Gantz threatened that Israel would expand operations into Rafah if Israeli hostages were not returned. He said that they are preparing for the same, working with their partners, including Egypt.
According to his claims, the Israeli army will implement a plan to evacuate the Rafah population to safer areas to start operations.
But around 1.5 million Gazans are huddled together in the southern city of Rafah. The city serves as an entry point for humanitarian aid, too.
Earlier this month, the Israeli army bombed the city, targeting 14 buildings and killing a hundred civilians. The Netanyahu administration is threatening to launch ground operations too.
Since October 7, Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip as a retaliation to a lightning strike by Hamas into Israel, which reportedly killed around 1,200 Israelis. So far, the operation in Gaza killed 29,775 people there and injured more than 68,552. There were mass destructions of properties and a shortage of necessities.