Israeli Minister without Portfolio and member of the Defense Cabinet, Benny Gantz, has stated that a ground operation in the Gaza Strip could advance the issue of returning hostages held by the Hamas movement. According to RIA Novosti, Gantz mentioned that “there are no political sand clocks in this war, only operational hours for the return of hostages.”
Gantz emphasized that Israel will listen to its allies but plans to do what is right for it.
Previously, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the beginning of the second stage of the war, aimed at destroying the infrastructure of the Palestinian Hamas movement and freeing the hostages.
On October 7, Hamas forces launched thousands of rockets into Israeli territory and declared the start of the “Al-Aqsa Flooding” operation. Thousands of militants invaded Israeli territory, capturing dozens of military vehicles and over a hundred hostages. Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Netanyahu declared that the country was in a state of war.
The Israeli Defense Forces’ counter-operation was named “Iron Swords,” with the destruction of Hamas being one of its objectives. The Israeli Air Force struck hundreds of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, while the Israeli National Security Council decided to halt the supply of water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel to the sector. On October 13, Israel informed the UN that 1.1 million Palestinians must evacuate to the south of Gaza within 24 hours ahead of the ground operation in the area.
Earlier, a political analyst cited one of the reasons for the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
