Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that "now the bolt is being slid away from the gates of hell in Gaza. The first evacuation notice is being delivered to a multi-story terror building in Gaza City before a strike." According to him, "When the door opens it will not close and IDF activity will intensify - until Hamas murderers and rapists accept Israel's conditions to end the war, primarily the release of all hostages and disarmament - or they will be eliminated."