- Israeli Defence Minister threatened to destroy Gaza City if Hamas refuses to disarm
- Israeli PM Netanyahu authorised military to seize Gaza City and free hostages
- Israel called up 60,000 reservists to assist in the Gaza City offensive
Israel's Defence Minister has threatened to destroy Gaza City if Hamas does not agree to disarm, release all remaining hostages in the Palestinian territory and end the war on Tel Aviv's terms. The warning came as the Jewish state prepares for an expanded offensive in the enclave.
"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," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz posted on social media.
"If they do not agree, Gaza, the capital of Hamas, will become Rafah and Beit Hanoun," he added, referring to two cities in Gaza largely razed during previous Israeli operations.
His remarks came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would authorise the military to seize Gaza City. Netanyahu has ordered immediate negotiations aimed at freeing all the remaining hostages in Gaza.
Netanyahu has said a push to release the hostages would accompany the operation to take control of Gaza City and destroy the Hamas stronghold.
Israel's Gaza Plan
Earlier this week, Israel's Defence Ministry authorised the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists to help seize Gaza City.
"These two matters -- defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages -- go hand in hand," Netanyahu said in a video statement, without providing details about what the next stage of talks would entail.
Mediators have been waiting for days for an official Israeli response to their latest ceasefire proposal, which Hamas accepted earlier this week.
Per an AFP report, the new deal involves staggered hostage releases, while Israel has insisted that any deal see all the captives freed at once.
Israel's plans to expand the fighting and seize Gaza City have sparked an international outcry as well as domestic opposition. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel's offensive has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.
