Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned Hamas that it should release the hostages it kidnapped during the October 7 massacre - or suffer the consequences.
Speaking at a ceremony in Holon marking the demolition of buildings damaged by an Iranian missile, Katz stated, “I say as clearly as possible, and I mean every single word.”
“If Hamas does not release the hostages, the gates of hell will open on Gaza.”
He stressed, “Beyond what we are already doing with great force, we will do much more. We will protect the hostages and strike everything connected to Hamas until they are released. We will do whatever it takes.”
Katz also emphasized that Israel is doing everything possible in order to avoid harming civilians: “You should know that we are acting with strength. When we need to enter an area, such as Khan Yunis, we first warn the residents, ensure there are no hostages in the area, warn Palestinian civilians in the area to evacuate, and then we act — by air, land, and if needed, by sea — to eliminate any threat to IDF soldiers.”
“Every building and every structure is hit in order to prevent danger to our troops. And when IDF soldiers enter and clear an area, they no longer withdraw like before. They stay and eliminate threats both above and below ground, so that Hamas has nowhere to return to and threaten from,” he said.
“This is a complex war, unlike anything we’ve faced before,” Katz added. “As I’ve said, we are moving in stages. Decisions must be made. From time to time, leadership must decide — what aid to release, what aid to withhold — so we can maneuver and achieve our central goals. That is leadership, and these are decisions, and we take responsibility for the decisions — we don’t hide behind the Military Advocate General or anyone else. The IDF carries out our directives with courage, and we make decisions — we hear everything and make the decisions. Our goal is to bring back the hostages, defeat Hamas, and with G-d’s help, we will accomplish those goals.”