Israel-Hamas war: Return hostages by Ramadan or face Rafah ground offensive from Mar 10, Israel warns

Israel's war cabinet warned on Sunday (Feb 18) that the Israeli military would launch its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip's Rafah by March 10 if hostages held by Hamas in the besieged Palestinian territory are not freed within the next few weeks.

According to a report by The Times of Israel, war cabinet member Benny Gantz said, "The world must know, and Hamas leaders must know — if by Ramadan our hostages are not home, the fighting will continue everywhere, including the Rafah area."

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Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims, begins this year on March 10.

Addressing a conference in Jerusalem, Gantz spoke further about the offensive, saying that Israel would do so (carry out the offensive) in a coordinated manner, facilitating the evacuation of civilians in dialogue with the United States and Egypt to minimise civilian casualties.

Amid international concerns about the ground assault in Rafah, Gantz, the former defence minister, said, "Hamas has a choice — they can surrender, release the hostages, and the citizens of Gaza will be able to celebrate the holy holiday of Ramadan."

Palestinians hope int'l community can pressure Israel against entering Rafah

Rafah is the last remaining stronghold of Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Since the conflict started in Oct last year, more than a million Palestinians have fled to the city to seek shelter from the fighting.

Palestiniansin the Rafah tent camps on Sunday voiced concerns about the nearing Israeli offensive.

“We hope that the international community pressures (Israel) not to enter Rafah, because the number of people that are in Rafah, is big. Even if you want to displace them, how will you do it for such a number? 1.3 million or 1.4 million people need to be displaced. Where will they go?” Hassan Al-Yakobi, retired teacher from Gaza City, told the news agency Reuters.

Al-Yakobi is currently in Rafah after fleeing from the Gaza City.

"We have young children and our stuff, these are the things every displaced anywhere is suffering. Other than this, what can we say? We are suffering. We walked from Khan Younis to Kaf Miraj (area between Khan Younis and Rafah) while holding our things, it’s all very tiring,” the retired teacher added.

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Another displaced Palestinian, Mohammed Farookh, told the news agency that the Rafah offensive would exacerbate the problem and add pressure on all the displaced people in the Gaza Strip.

"Today it hosts more than a million people, in a small area, crowded with people. There are no appropriate living conditions, no food, drinks or housing in this extreme cold," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)