Israel Indicates March Deadline for Ground Attack in Rafah
Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has warned that unless Hamas frees all hostages held in Gaza by 10 March an offensive will be launched in Rafah.
Speaking on Sunday, Mr. Gantz, a former defense minister, said if by Ramadan Israeli hostages are not home, the fighting will continue everywhere, including the Rafah area.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) entered the complex on Thursday, saying intelligence indicated hostages taken by Hamas were being held there.
Mr. Gantz added that Israel would act in a coordinated manner, facilitating the evacuation of civilians in dialogue with our American and Egyptian partners to minimize civilian casualties.
Hamas is still holding about 130 hostages in Gaza, Israel believes.
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The Israeli war cabinet consists of the country’s top security officials. It was formed several days after Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel on 7 October, killing at least 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages. Hamas is still holding about 130 hostages in Gaza, Israel believes.
Mr. Gantz’s reference to Egypt may serve to heighten speculation that Israel expects some Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip and seek shelter on the Egyptian side of the border, where the authorities appear to be building a large walled enclosure for this purpose, says the BBC’s diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams.
But Israeli officials have yet to give any details of an evacuation plan, he adds.
With exactly three weeks to go before the start of Ramadan, reports from Rafah say that a few people are leaving, heading west towards the coast, but that most are still waiting, unsure what to do.
Despite international pressure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to launch a ground assault on Rafah to eliminate Hamas gunmen there.
Egypt and some other Arab countries have repeatedly warned that an Israeli offensive there would risk pushing many Palestinians into Egypt – which they consider unacceptable. Saudi Arabia has vowed very serious repercussions if Rafah is stormed.
