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Published : 22 Aug 2025, 09:43 PM
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has warned that Gaza City could be completely destroyed if Hamas refuses to disarm and release all hostages, according to the BBC.
Katz’s warning followed the Israeli cabinet’s approval of plans for a major assault on Gaza City, despite mounting international and domestic criticism.
On Monday, Hamas accepted a proposal from Qatari and Egyptian mediators for a 60-day ceasefire that, the BBC reports, would see half of the remaining hostages in Gaza released.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the deal, saying he had authorised new negotiations aimed at securing the release of all hostages and ending the war on terms “acceptable to Israel”.
Israel believes only 20 of the 50 hostages remain alive after 22 months of conflict. Israeli media cited an official saying negotiators would be sent for renewed talks once a location was set.
“I have come to approve the IDF’s plans to take control of Gaza City and defeat Hamas,” Netanyahu said in a video message during a visit to the Gaza division’s headquarters.
Reinforcing the government’s hard line, Katz posted on social media Friday: “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.” Both cities, the BBC notes, have been reduced to rubble during Israeli operations.
