Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a stark ultimatum to Hamas on Friday, vowing to destroy Gaza City if the militant group does not agree to disarm and release all remaining hostages being held in the territory.
The minister’s statement, delivered via social media, outlined Israel’s non-negotiable conditions for ending the ongoing conflict.
In his post, Katz declared, “Soon, the gates of hell will open upon the heads of Hamas’ 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.”
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He further emphasised the severity of the threat by pointing to the fate of other Gaza cities that have undergone extensive Israeli military operations.
“If they do not agree, Gaza, the capital of Hamas, will become Rafah and Beit Hanoun,” he stated, referencing two urban areas that have been largely razed by previous attacks.
This aggressive rhetoric from the defence chief came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday that he had directed his negotiators to begin immediate talks focused on securing the freedom of the hostages still in captivity.
The simultaneous messages appear to represent a two-pronged strategy from the Israeli government, combining a public threat of intensified military action with a behind-the-scenes directive to pursue a diplomatic resolution for the return of the hostages, underscoring the high-stakes pressure being applied to Hamas.
cc: News24
