Katz warns Israel will raze remaining Gaza City if any Israeli is taken hostage
Defense Minister Israel Katz threatens mass evacuation and destruction of Gaza City and rules out any troop pullback until Hamas disarms.
What to know
- Katz threatens to destroy remaining Gaza City infrastructure and force ~1 million Gazans out if Hamas, allegedly egged on by Iran or Turkey, takes an Israeli hostage.
- IDF will not withdraw from any of the 63% of Gaza it controls — not to prior 53%, 30%, or 15% lines — until Hamas fully disarms.
- The stance is expected to hold at least through the US midterm elections on November 3, after which Jared Kushner is expected to push for a withdrawal-for-disarmament arrangement.
- The threat could complicate Israel's legal defense against genocide and war-crimes allegations at The Hague on proportionality grounds.
Israel Katz Israeli Defense MinisterHamas Militant group controlling parts of Gaza
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan President of Turkey
Jared Kushner US foreign affairs envoy
How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts
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background
Report flags legal and diplomatic risks of Katz's threat — Jerusalem Post analysis noted the threat could undermine Israeli lawyers' arguments at The Hague on proportionality and could be used by critics citing a recent documentary alleging genocide, while also noting Jared Kushner has signaled the Trump administration will push for a withdrawal-for-disarmament deal after the midterms.
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background
Katz rules out partial Gaza withdrawal until Hamas disarms — Katz said the IDF will not pull back from any of the 63% of Gaza it currently holds — not to the 53%, 30%, or 15% control lines — until Hamas is fully disarmed, a position expected to hold at least until the US midterm elections on November 3.
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Katz threatens to evacuate and destroy Gaza City over any hostage-taking
Katz publicly warned Hamas and its supporters, naming Iran and Turkish President Erdoğan, that taking even one Israeli soldier or civilian hostage would trigger the evacuation of roughly one million Gazans and destruction of what remains of Gaza City.
“in light of various intentions and intelligence... from Iran to Erdoğan…”
— Israel Katz -
1 outlet first by Jerusalem Post, 1d ago · read ↗
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first by Middle East Eye, 2d ago
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Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, says that if Hamas captures even one Israeli soldier or civilian, Israel will forcibly displace one million Palestinians from Gaza City and raze the city. He is once again openly calling for war crimes and collective punishment.
1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
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BREAKING: Israeli Defense Minister Katz says that “in light of various intentions and intelligence,” he is warning Hamas and its supporters, “from Iran to Erdoğan,” that if even one Israeli soldier or civilian is taken hostage, Gaza City will be evacuated of its roughly one
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