Israeli Minister Urges IDF To Increase Operations In Gaza Despite Risk Of Dangering Hostages

JAKARTA - Israeli National Mission and Settlement Minister Orit Strock urged Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to expand its operations in the Gaza Strip to cover the entire Palestinian enclave, including areas known to be places where the hostages are being held, although it is likely to further harm them.

"There should be no 'don't touch me' zone (in Gaza), because it endangers the residents of the Gaza border community and all residents in the south," he told radio station Haredi Kol Barama, reported The Times of Israel July 21.

"To win the war, (we) need to control these areas as well, and not leave them as centers of terror above and below," he said.

He further said that although troops must take "hard efforts" not to injure the hostages who have been held in these areas, it can still happen.

"It's not right to refrain from defeating Hamas there," he said.

Terrorists in this restricted zone are shooting at southern Israel every day and trying to kidnap soldiers, Strock said.

"It also puts lives at risk," he stressed, adding he "cannot make calculations about whether the life of this person is more important than the person's life."

In response to this, the Hostage Family Forum accused the far-right minister, who has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the ceasefire deal, "bet on the fate of the hostages and normalize their detention."

"Strock leads to the sacrifices of the hostages and with them, the values that form the basis of the founding of the State of Israel, all in the name of endless, aimless and irrational war that must end for the entire Israeli nation," the forum said.

"It's no surprise that this comes from someone who, from the start, has been a stubborn barrier to save the hostages. This is a shame for the government," he said.

It is known that the latest conflict in Gaza broke out after a Palestinian militant group attacked Israel's southern region on October 7, 2023, leaving 1,200 people dead and another 251 held hostage according to Israeli calculations.

Israel responded to this by blocking, airstrikes and military operations in the Gaza Strip region.

Israel and the Palestinian militant group agreed to a ceasefire and exchange of hostages and detainees on January 19.

At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are believed to be still alive. The majority of the initial hostages have been released through diplomatic negotiations, although the Israeli military has also released several hostages.

On March 2, Israel again carried out a total blockade against Gaza under the pretext of pressuring Palestinian militant groups to agree on a ceasefire proposed by the United States and a exchange of hostages.

As the ceasefire agreement ended, Israel resumed military operations in Gaza on March 18.

As of yesterday, Palestinian deaths in the Gaza Strip since the latest conflict broke out have reached 58,895 people, while another 140,980 were injured, according to a medical source in Gaza, quoted from WAFA.