Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has delivered one of the most severe warnings yet in the ongoing conflict, declaring that Israel will completely destroy Gaza City if Hamas fails to comply with the state’s demands. His remarks came during a statement issued on Friday, in which he made it clear that Hamas must disarm and release all remaining hostages immediately or face catastrophic consequences.
Katz wrote in a strongly worded social media post: “Soon, the gates of hell will open upon the heads of Hamas’s murderers and rapists in Gaza. The only way for them to prevent this is to surrender to Israel’s conditions for ending the war, conditions which are first and foremost the release of all hostages and the complete disarmament of Hamas.” He further warned that if the militant group refuses, Gaza would face devastation comparable to Rafah and Beit Hanoun — cities that were previously reduced to ruins by Israeli offensives.
This aggressive declaration was released only hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had authorised urgent negotiations aimed at securing the safe release of all hostages still held in Gaza. In his video address to the nation, Netanyahu explained that the diplomatic discussions would not delay or replace Israel’s military operation but would instead run parallel to it. He confirmed that Israel’s forces are preparing for a full-scale assault to capture Gaza City and eradicate Hamas’s leadership and infrastructure.
“These two missions are inseparable: destroying Hamas and rescuing every single one of our hostages. We will not stop until both goals are achieved,” Netanyahu said. He also revealed that an additional 60,000 reservists had been mobilised to reinforce the ground offensive, underscoring the seriousness of the military build-up.
Meanwhile, international mediators are awaiting Israel’s official response to the most recent ceasefire proposal. Earlier in the week, Hamas had announced its acceptance of a plan that involved a phased release of hostages in exchange for a halt to the bombardment. However, Israel’s leadership remains firm that it will only consider an agreement guaranteeing the release of all hostages at once, a position that has become a key obstacle in negotiations.
The Israeli government’s uncompromising position has sparked widespread concern among global leaders and humanitarian organisations. Critics warn that a full-scale offensive on Gaza City would drastically escalate the humanitarian crisis, compounding the suffering of civilians who are already enduring severe shortages of food, medicine, and shelter due to the conflict.
The war was ignited by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to official statistics verified by AFP. In retaliation, Israel has launched a relentless military campaign that has, according to Gaza’s health ministry, killed more than 62,000 Palestinians — a majority of them women and children. The United Nations has stated that these figures are credible, while aid groups continue to raise alarms about the staggering civilian toll.
As the situation intensifies, observers say the coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether diplomacy can break through the cycle of violence, or whether Gaza City will indeed face one of the deadliest assaults in its history.