Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz made a direct appeal to Muslim citizens ahead of the upcoming holy month of Ramadan, declaring that Israel’s war in Gaza is not a war “against Islam.”
“These days, Israel is in a difficult campaign that started with the murderous attack of Hamas terrorists against all Israeli citizens, including Muslims. Our war is not against Islam, but against those who harmed the values of Islam. Against those who committed crimes against humanity, and also sought to tear apart Israeli society and our common future,” Gantz believes.
He stated that Hamas wants to turn Ramadan from a month of prayer into a “month of blood”.
“The seventh of October proved to us, perhaps more than before, that Arab society is an integral part of Israel. When we are in danger, we are all in the same danger and we face it together,” he claimed, promising to maintain the freedom of prayer at the Jerusalem Temple burning and calling on the Muslim community in Israel to ignore “extremists who are trying to do harm”.