Israel could help make Gaza "a normal place to live" if Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the coastal enclave, was to release its Israeli captives, Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz said Wednesday.
Hamas is thought to either hold or know the whereabouts of the remains of St. Sgt. Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin, two IDF soldiers who were killedduring Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in 2014.
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It has also been keeping two Israeli citizens, both special needs individuals who walked into the enclave of their own volition, as hostages for years.
Gantz also said Israel was "obliged to provide humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza."
The past few weeks saw Hamas vow to join efforts with the Palestinian Authority against Israel's push to apply sovereignty in parts of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, within the framework of US President Donald Trump's peace plan. On Tuesday, Fatah and Hamas reiterated their pledge to work together against the Israeli initiative.
The rivalry between the two factions runs deep, dating back to the 2007 Hamas-led coup against Fatah in Gaza, the movement that forms the backbone of the Palestinian Authority.
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Nevertheless, the two groups urged their supporters to allay their skepticism regarding their efforts at forming a united front.
"This will open a new era of relations between Hamas and Fatah," said Hussam Badran, a senior Hamas official.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS.
