Israel Threatens to Destroy Gaza City if Hamas Fails to Surrender

Strategic Insights -

As Israel prepares for a full-scale assault on Gaza City, its minister of military affairs, Israel Katz, has threatened to destroy the city if Hamas does not agree to its terms, including surrendering its arms. Gaza City, home to nearly a million displaced civilians, is already on the brink of unimaginable levels of starvation and destruction, according to aid agencies. The threat comes despite urgent United Nations appeals to halt the operation.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Israeli government has threatened to destroy Gaza City if Hamas fails to surrender its arms, with Minister of Military Affairs Israel Katz stating that "soon, the gates of hell will open" in Gaza unless Hamas agrees to Israel's conditions.
  • The threat comes as Israel's forces prepare to launch a full-scale assault on Gaza City, which could trigger another wave of mass displacement and exacerbate the existing humanitarian crisis.
  • The crisis in Gaza has seen hundreds of thousands of people starve due to Israel's blockade on food, fuel, and medicine, with aid groups warning that the situation is a "war on children," with at least one in three children in Gaza City now malnourished.
  • The hawkish minister's remarks came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced "immediate negotiations" to release all remaining captives held in Gaza "on terms acceptable to Israel".
  • Hamas has accepted a ceasefire proposal, which includes the release of half of the captives in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a path to a comprehensive deal that ends the nearly two-year genocidal war in Gaza.
  • The UN humanitarian agency has warned that the Israeli plan to occupy Gaza City would have a "horrific humanitarian impact" on the already exhausted population.

Statistics:

  • Over 62,190 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, mostly women and children.
  • Nearly two-thirds of Gaza's children are now malnourished, with over 300,000 children affected by the humanitarian crisis.
  • Israel's blockade on Gaza has left hundreds of thousands of people without access to basic necessities like food, fuel, and medicine.

Sources:

  • Press TV
  • United Nations humanitarian agency
  • Hamas
  • Israeli government (Israel Katz and Benjamin Netanyahu)
  • Qatar
  • US special envoy Steve Witkoff