Israel sets Ramadan deadline for offensive on Rafah

Israel will launch its long-threatened offensive against Rafah next month if Hamas has not freed the remaining hostages held in Gaza by the start of Ramadan, Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz has said.

"The world must know, and Hamas leaders must know, if by Ramadan our hostages are not home, the fighting will continue everywhere, including the Rafah area," Mr Gantz, a retired military chief of staff, told a conference of American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.