Israel's defense minister threatened to resettle Gaza

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the radical Palestinian movement Hamas is planning to carry out new abductions of Israelis.

In this connection, the minister warned that if even one citizen of the country is taken hostage, Israel will evict 1 million residents of Gaza, and the city itself will be destroyed.

Given the various intentions and intelligence data, I warn the terrorist organization (Hamas — editor's note) and its supporters: if even one Israeli soldier or civilian is abducted, the entire city of Gaza, a million of its residents, will be evacuated to the south, Katz said at a memorial ceremony dedicated to the memory of soldiers who died during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, The Times of Israel reports.

The minister further threatened to destroy the "houses and towers of terror" in Gaza, and made it clear that in that case the city would face the fate of other cities in the Gaza Strip, almost completely destroyed by the Israeli army during the hostilities waged since 2023. "It will be done the same way it was done with Rafah, Beit Hanoun and 70% of the Gaza Strip, until they (potential hostages — editor's note) are returned," he added. "This is the language understood by the terrorist jihadist organizations in Gaza and Lebanon, and this is the language we speak: evacuation of the population, destruction of infrastructure and seizure of territory," Katz asserted.