Gantz called on residents of the Gaza Strip to return to the settlements (Reuters)

Minister in the Israeli Defense Ministerial Council, Benny Gantz, threatened on Friday that the army would continue fighting and would reach deep into the territory of Gaza, including Rafah, south of the Strip.

Gantz said - in a recorded video message - that the fighting will continue in the future “deep in enemy territory,” referring to areas inside the Gaza Strip, and not just along the border, referring to the strip adjacent to Israeli towns and settlements.

He stressed that the fighting will not stop until the threat is removed and the prisoners detained in Gaza are returned, stressing that the fighting in Rafah will be deep in the field.

He explained that the settlements around the Gaza Strip will be protected by increased forces, "and we will reach every place where there are Hamas fighters."

Gaza cover

Gantz addressed the residents of the settlements around the Gaza Strip, saying, “The decision to return is in your hands. The state will help all families or communities make the right decision for them, and we will provide you with all civil services, and your security is our responsibility.”

The occupation government has evacuated the residents of dozens of towns and settlements around the Gaza Strip to hotels and guest houses across Israel since the beginning of the aggression against the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, and many of them refuse to return while the war is still ongoing.

Northern front

On the northern front, Gantz indicated that the ongoing war will not end until the residents of the settlements near the Lebanese border return to their homes.

"We are working militarily and politically. Hezbollah has already been expelled from the border, and we are preparing for the day when we will issue the order when we need to expand our activities," he said.

Residents of the northern settlements were displaced from their places of residence due to the border confrontations that broke out between the occupation army and the resistance factions in Lebanon, led by Hezbollah, since last October 8.

Gantz's threats coincide with the launch of meetings in Paris, with the participation of Qatar, Egypt, the United States and Israel, to discuss ways to calm the situation in the Gaza Strip and reach an agreement to exchange Palestinian and Israeli prisoners.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies