Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Tuesday that any new abduction of an Israeli soldier or civilian would trigger the evacuation of Gaza City, saying the threat was issued in light of what he described as “various intentions and intelligence.”
Speaking at the state memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers of the Yom Kippur War at Mount Herzl, Katz directed the warning at Hamas and its supporters, “from Iran to Erdogan,” referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. ynet carried the speech live.
Defense MInister Israel Katz
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
Katz did not elaborate on the intelligence behind the warning, but again said the IDF would not withdraw from the Yellow Line in Gaza “as long as Hamas is not removed and Gaza is not demilitarized of weapons and tunnels.”
“If one Israeli soldier or civilian is abducted, the entire city of Gaza, with its homes and terror towers, will be evacuated south of its one million residents, as we did in Gideon’s Chariots II, and it will be treated in the same way Rafah, Beit Hanoun and 70% of the Gaza Strip were treated, until he is returned,” Katz said.
About a week ago, ynet learned that IDF troops in Gaza had been instructed to heighten their vigilance over concerns that Hamas could seek to retaliate for a string of targeted killings of senior terrorists in the Strip.
Among those killed was Rafah Brigade commander Nayal Abu Obeid, who had been involved in the abduction and captivity of Israeli soldiers and civilians over the years and during the war, including Lt. Hadar Goldin and Staff Sgt. Nimrod Cohen.
The recent strikes also killed Ahmad Batash, commander of Hamas’ Jabaliya Battalion in the terror group’s northern Gaza brigade, and Mohsen Abu Hadaf, an Islamic Jihad rocket-cell commander killed in Khan Younis.
According to the IDF and Shin Bet, Abu Hadaf participated in the October 7 massacre by infiltrating Kibbutz Kissufim.
About two weeks ago, Israel also killed Mohammed Yazouri, commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade, in an airstrike in the Al-Mawasi area under his command.
According to Arab reports, Yazouri had held several other senior positions over the years in Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, including heading an intelligence apparatus involved in preparations for the October 7 attack.
The reports said he had survived several previous assassination attempts, including one in 2021 when Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar were also nearby.
Israel’s targeted campaign against Hamas brigade commanders and senior field commanders has significantly disrupted the terror group’s command continuity and efforts to rebuild its capabilities.
Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman dismissed Katz’s warning as “a joke.”
“If three years after the massacre there is still intelligence about Hamas intentions to abduct Israeli soldiers and civilians, that says more than anything about the bankruptcy of the October 7 massacre government,” Liberman said. “Hamas has not been defeated, security has not been restored, and Katz’s statement is another joke to add to the government’s collection of empty declarations.”