JERUSALEM: Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has threatened to completely destroy Gaza City unless Hamas agrees to disarm and release all remaining hostages.
Katz declared that hell would soon open upon Hamas militants in Gaza until they accept Israel’s conditions for ending the conflict.
He specifically warned that Gaza City would suffer the same fate as Rafah and Beit Hanoun if Hamas refuses to comply.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu simultaneously announced he had ordered immediate negotiations to free all hostages still held in Gaza.
Netanyahu stated that hostage release efforts would proceed alongside military operations to capture Gaza City and eliminate Hamas strongholds.
The Israeli defence ministry this week authorised calling up approximately 60,000 reservists to support the seizure of Gaza City.
Netanyahu emphasised that defeating Hamas and releasing hostages remain fundamentally interconnected objectives.
International mediators await Israel’s official response to a ceasefire proposal that Hamas accepted earlier this week.
Palestinian sources indicate the proposed deal involves staggered hostage releases, while Israel demands all captives be freed simultaneously.
The United Nations humanitarian agency warns that expanded Israeli operations would have horrific humanitarian consequences for Gaza’s exhausted population.
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee preemptively criticised an upcoming UN report on hunger in Gaza, accusing Hamas of starving hostages while hoarding supplies.
Hamas’s October 2023 attack killed 1,219 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Among 251 hostages seized during the attack, 49 remain in Gaza including 27 whom Israel declares dead.
Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,192 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run health ministry figures deemed reliable by the United Nations. – AFP