An Israeli extremist minister has called for the cancellation of Islam's holy month Ramadan as a solution for tensions in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu told Army Radio, "The so-called month of Ramadan must be wiped out, and our fear of this month must also be wiped out."
Eliyahu is a member of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, led 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 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 cease-fire in Gaza before Ramadan, which begins in about 10 days.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that 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 U.S., Qatar and Egypt, U.S. 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 November 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 incursion, which Tel Aviv said killed fewer than 1,200 people.
At least 30,228 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 U.N.
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.
