Israel has set a deadline for a hostage deal with Hamas on March 10, the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, and if this is not met, the Hamas leader’s last stronghold on the Egyptian border in the Gaza Strip will be closed. A plan to invade Rafah will be advanced.
The announcement, clearly representative of the position of President Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, was made on Sunday by opposition leader Benny Gantz, who joined the wartime cabinet as part of a national unity emergency government.
The Times of Israel reported:
“The world must know, and the Hamas leadership must know. If the hostages are not returned home by Ramadan, fighting will continue everywhere, including in the Rafah region,” Gantz said.
…
“We will facilitate the evacuation of civilians and conduct evacuations in a coordinated manner in dialogue with our U.S. and Egyptian partners to minimize civilian casualties,” said former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff and Minister of Defense. spoke at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. They were summoned to Jerusalem.
“To those who say price [of an offensive] “Hamas has a choice: surrender and release the hostages, allowing Gaza residents to celebrate the holy holiday of Ramadan,” he said.
This announcement represents a new approach to hostage negotiations. Hamas has insisted that it will not release the hostages unless Israel ends the war and completely withdraws from Gaza. If that happens, Hamas will survive and Israel will be defeated.
Israel has rejected any new deal proposals until Hamas softens its demands. Now, by giving Hamas a deadline to coincide with Islamic holidays, it is trying to ratchet up pressure on Hamas while meeting international calls for restraint.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He is the author of the recent book, The Zionist Conspiracy (And How to Participate in It), now available on Audible. He is also the author of an e-book. Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
