"Yesterday we approved the IDF's plans to defeat Hamas in Gaza through massive fire, evacuations of residents, and maneuvers," Katz said in a statement, officially acknowledging the use of a scorched-earth policy against a city of more than one million Palestinians.
He added threateningly: "Soon the gates of hell will open on Gaza until Hamas agrees to Israel's conditions, most notably the release of all hostages and the disarmament of its weapons. Otherwise, Gaza, Hamas's capital, will turn into Rafah and Beit Hanoun."
This comes as Hamas announced its acceptance on Monday of an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignored the proposal and ordered an acceleration of plans to occupy Gaza City on Wednesday.
"I came to approve the army's plans to take control of Gaza City and resolve the battle with Hamas," Netanyahu said during his visit to the Gaza military division on Thursday. He added that he had ordered the start of "immediate" negotiations to release Israeli prisoners in parallel with the occupation's plan.
Israel estimates that Hamas holds 50 prisoners, including 20 living prisoners, while more than 10,800 Palestinians are languishing in its prisons, amid human rights allegations of torture and medical neglect.
Netanyahu continued, "We are at a decisive stage, and I greatly appreciate the response of reserve soldiers and, of course, the regular army to this vital goal." He claimed that "the issues of defeating Hamas and releasing all detainees go hand in hand," as he put it.
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Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu's statement was the first time he directly addressed the exchange deal since Hamas announced its response to the mediators' proposal.
On August 8, the Israeli government approved a plan proposed by Netanyahu for a gradual occupation of the Gaza Strip. The plan, which was adopted by a majority vote, included what it described as the "five principles for ending the war," namely: "disarming Hamas, returning all prisoners (living and dead), demilitarizing the Strip, establishing security control over it, and establishing an alternative civil administration separate from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority."
The plan begins with the occupation of Gaza City, displacing its population of approximately one million to the south, then encircling the city and carrying out incursions into residential areas. This will be followed by a second phase, which includes the occupation of refugee camps in central Gaza, large parts of which have already been destroyed by Israel.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and displacement, ignoring international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The Israeli genocide left 62,192 Palestinians dead and 157,114 injured, most of them children and women. More than 9,000 people were missing, hundreds of thousands were displaced, and a famine claimed the lives of 271 people, including 112 children.
