Israel Threatens to Level Gaza City if Hamas Refuses to Disarm, Free Hostages
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has issued a stark warning that Gaza City would be reduced to rubble if Hamas refuses to lay down its arms, release all hostages, and accept Israel’s terms for ending the war.
“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,” Katz declared in a fiery post on social media.
He added that if Hamas rejected Israel’s terms, “Gaza, the capital of Hamas, will become Rafah and Beit Hanoun” — a reference to two Gaza cities devastated in earlier Israeli offensives.
The ultimatum followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement late Thursday that he had ordered immediate negotiations to secure the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza.
Netanyahu insisted that the hostage talks would run parallel with Israel’s planned offensive to seize Gaza City and dismantle Hamas’s stronghold.
“These two matters — defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages — go hand in hand,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement, without offering details of the negotiation strategy.
Earlier this week, Israel’s defence ministry authorised the mobilisation of 60,000 reservists to join the Gaza City offensive.
Meanwhile, mediators have been awaiting an official Israeli response to the latest ceasefire proposal, which Hamas accepted earlier this week. According to Palestinian sources, the deal envisions staggered hostage releases, while Israel has insisted on the immediate release of all captives.
Israel’s vow to escalate fighting in Gaza City has triggered international outcry and growing domestic dissent.
Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel left 1,219 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
In response, Israel’s offensive has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians — the majority civilians — according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, figures that the United Nations deems credible.
