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‘Oct. 7: Part 2’ – Israel expects Ramadan terror

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“This is the main goal of Hamas, it is being amplified by Iran and Hezbollah,” said Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

By World Israel News Staff

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that terror groups are seeking to leverage the upcoming Ramadan as an opportunity for further terror attacks targeting Israel.

The groups are looking to take advantage of increased Muslim sensitivity towards perceived Israeli aggressions during the monthlong Islamic festival, he said.

“Hamas’s main goal is to take Ramadan, with an emphasis on the Temple Mount and Jerusalem, and turn it into the second phase of their plan that began on October 7,” said Gallant.

“This is the main goal of Hamas, it is being amplified by Iran and Hezbollah,” he continued.

“We must not give Hamas what it has not been able to achieve since the beginning of the war and converge the combat fronts.”

In what appeared to be a jab at Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Gallant added that “irresponsible statements from people who are supposed to be responsible” could further stoke tensions.

Ben-Gvir has proposed barring the entry of Palestinian Authority residents and Israeli Muslims under the age of 60 from the Temple Mount during Ramadan.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly agreed to that policy, though his office refused to officially confirm or deny his acceptance of the ban.

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Shin Bet officials have expressed concern over restricting access to the Temple Mount during the holiday, asserting that it could stoke Muslim ire and spark violent pushback from Israeli Arabs.

Gallant implied that terror groups are seemingly hoping for a repeat of the mass Arab Israeli rioting during the 2021 Guardian of the Walls fighting.

At least three Jews were murdered by Arab rioters during that conflict, with near nightly disturbances in mixed Arab-Jewish cities including Haifa, Akko, Jaffa, and Lod.

During the ongoing Swords of Iron War, there has not been significant public opposition from Israeli Arabs.

Several dozen of those killed on Oct. 7 were from Arab Bedouin communities in the southern Negev desert.