Gallant cautions Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah might exploit Ramadan for a “second stage” on October 7.

On Tuesday, Yoav Gallant, the Defense Minister of Israel, issued a warning regarding the potential actions of Iran, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia party. He suggested these groups might exploit the Muslim holidays of Ramadan to initiate a “second stage” of attacks on Israeli territory. These attacks, which began on October 7, have been the catalyst for the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Gallant stated, “Hamas’ primary objective is to utilize Ramadan, with a significant focus on the Temple Mount and Jerusalem, to instigate the second phase of its plan that commenced on October 7. This primary objective of Hamas is being amplified by Iran and Hezbollah”. This statement was made during an evaluation of the Central Command of the Israeli Armed Forces.

The Defense Minister further emphasized the importance of not empowering the Palestinian militia. He argued, “We should not grant Hamas what it has failed to achieve since the onset of the war”. This argument was reported by the Israeli newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’.

In what seemed to be remarks directed at the Minister of National Security, the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir, Gallant advocated for a cautious approach to avoid “irresponsible statements by individuals who are supposed to be responsible”. He warned that such actions could potentially escalate the situation in a brief period of time.

Itamar Ben Gvir, who is known for his racist and ultra-nationalist statements, has called for the imposition of restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank. He has suggested preventing them from praying in the Esplanade of the Mosques during Ramadan and even proposed barring access to Israeli Arabs under the age of 70.

Hamas launched a series of attacks against Israeli territory on October 7, resulting in a death toll of nearly 1,200 and close to 240 hostages. This act led to a brutal military retaliation by the Israeli Armed Forces against the Gaza Strip, which has already claimed the lives of nearly 30,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children.

In the context of these conflicts, Hezbollah has seized the opportunity to launch attacks against northern Israel across their shared border. The Israeli Army has responded to these attacks. It’s important to note that Hamas and Hezbollah, along with Yemen’s Houthis, receive support from Iran.