Beijing, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's wartime cabinet and former defense minister, threatened on Feb. 18 that the Israeli army would launch a ground operation against Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, if the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) does not release all detainees before the Muslim month of Ramadan.
"If the Israeli detainees detained before Ramadan do not return home, the fighting will reach the Rafah area," Gantz said at a meeting convened by Jewish Americans in Jerusalem that day. ”
On February 18, in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, Palestinians inspect damage after Israeli airstrikes. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Khalid Omar) This year's Ramadan is expected to begin on March 10.
According to the Associated Press, although Gantz is not the current leader and does not have the power to "clap the board", his influence as a veteran of the military and one of the three members of the wartime cabinet cannot be underestimated. Gantz has served as Chief of the General Staff, Speaker of Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Israel National Defense Forces, and is now the leader of the main opposition National Unity Party.
Since the outbreak of the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Israeli army has launched a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip from north to south. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed that the Israeli army will eventually launch a ground offensive against Rafah. The current defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said on the 16th that Israel is "making detailed plans" for a ground attack on Rafah.
People inspect damage in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah on 12 February. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad) Israel has not released a specific timetable for the ground battle in Rafah. Gantz's statement on the 18th was one of the clearest statements made by Israel so far.
Rafah currently houses more than half of the population of the Gaza Strip, most of whom are displaced persons who have fled elsewhere. Israel claims to have evacuated civilians, but it is unclear where they will go.
The Israeli army's military action against Rafah has aroused widespread concern in the international community. In addition to regional countries, the European Union and many European countries have also clearly expressed their opposition. The United States has also said that the Israeli army should not move forward with ground operations in Rafah until a plan is in place to ensure that civilians are provided with the security and support they need.
According to the latest figures released by the health department of the Gaza Strip, since the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict on October 7 last year, Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip have caused nearly 290,000 deaths. (Wang Hongbin).