Israeli minister calls for ‘wiping out’ month of Ramadan

JERUSALEM

Extremist Israeli minister called Friday to "wipe out" the month of Ramadan and disregard the tension in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the holy month.

"The so-called month of Ramadan must be wiped out, and our fear of this month must also be wiped out," Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu told Army Radio.

The far-right politician is a minister from the Otzma Yehudit party headed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

In November, Eliyahu said dropping a "nuclear bomb" on the Gaza Strip is "an option."

Recently, Israeli security leaks indicated fears of an eruption of the situation in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem during the month of Ramadan as a result of the Israeli war on Gaza and the restrictions that the Tel Aviv government intends to impose on Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan.

Israeli media say that the American administration is pressuring Tel Aviv to reach a deal with Hamas regarding a hostage exchange and a ceasefire in Gaza before Ramadan, which begins in about ten days.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday it is premature to say Tel Aviv has reached an agreement on a prisoner exchange with Hamas.

As talks on a hostage-release deal continue with mediation from the US, Qatar and Egypt, US President Joe Biden said Monday that Israel would halt its war against Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan if a deal is reached.

The Palestinian Hamas group, believed to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages, is demanding an end to Israel's onslaught on Gaza in return for any hostage deal.

A previous deal in Nov. 2023 saw the release of 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners in exchange for 240 Palestinians, including 71 women and 169 children.

Israel has launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv said killed less than 1,200 people.

At least 30,035 Palestinians have since been killed and 70,457 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide by the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi