Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has issued a stark warning to Hamas, vowing on Friday to destroy Gaza City if the group fails to meet Israel’s conditions for ending the ongoing war.
In a strongly worded statement posted on social media, Katz declared: “Soon, the gates of hell will open upon the heads of Hamas’s murderers and rapists in Gaza, until they agree to Israel’s conditions for ending the war, primarily the release of all hostages and their disarmament.”
“If they do not agree, Gaza, the capital of Hamas, will become Rafah and Beit Hanoun,” he added, referring to cities previously devastated by Israeli offensives.
His remarks came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced late Thursday that he had ordered immediate negotiations to secure the release of all hostages held in Gaza. Netanyahu stressed that the talks would proceed alongside Israel’s military operation to seize Gaza City and dismantle Hamas’s stronghold.
“These two matters, defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages, go hand in hand,” Netanyahu said in a video address. He also confirmed the mobilisation of roughly 60,000 reservists to join the push into Gaza City.
Mediators have been awaiting an official Israeli response to the latest ceasefire proposal, which Hamas accepted earlier this week. Palestinian officials said the plan involves a phased release of hostages, while Israel has maintained it would only agree to a deal that ensures all captives are freed at once.
The Israeli government’s hardening stance has drawn international criticism, with global leaders warning that an expanded assault on Gaza City would deepen the humanitarian crisis.
Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel left 1,219 people dead, mostly civilians, according to official tallies compiled by AFP. In response, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, the majority civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry figures, which the United Nations deems credible.