Defense Minister Israel Katz commented on the resumption of fighting in Gaza and said, "Tonight, we resumed fighting in Gaza due to Hamas’s refusal to release the hostages and its threats to harm IDF soldiers and Israeli communities."
Katz added, "If Hamas does not release all the hostages, the gates of hell will open in Gaza, and the murderers and rapists of Hamas will face the IDF with intensities they have never known before. We will not stop fighting until all the hostages return home and all the war objectives are achieved."