Israel Warns Gaza City Will Be Destroyed if Hamas Rejects Hostage Deal

Israel has warned that Gaza City will be razed unless Hamas agrees to disarm and release all remaining hostages. Defence Minister Israel Katz issued the threat as the Israeli cabinet approved military plans for a full-scale assault on Gaza’s largest city. The move follows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of a 60-day ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and Egypt, which Hamas had accepted. That proposal would have seen half of the remaining hostages freed, but Netanyahu insisted Israel would only accept terms leading to the release of all hostages and the end of the war.

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Israel believes only 20 of the 50 hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack are still alive. Netanyahu, during a visit to IDF headquarters, declared that the military campaign to seize Gaza City and defeat Hamas would proceed in parallel with renewed hostage negotiations. He said, “Defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages go hand in hand.”

The Israeli Defence Forces have warned aid agencies and medical organisations to prepare for the evacuation of nearly one million residents from Gaza City before the assault begins. International observers fear a humanitarian catastrophe if the plans are carried out.

Defence Minister Katz reinforced Netanyahu’s stance in a stark social media post, warning that “the gates of hell will open upon Hamas” unless it accepts Israel’s conditions. He added that Gaza City would face the same fate as Rafah and Beit Hanoun, both heavily destroyed in earlier Israeli operations. The United Nations says 86% of Gaza is already under evacuation orders or military control.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached breaking point. The UN has reported “relentless bombardment” in Gaza City, causing mass civilian casualties and extensive destruction. Aid groups say they will remain to support those unable or unwilling to flee, despite risks. Gaza’s health ministry, run by Hamas, has rejected evacuation plans, saying they would collapse what remains of the healthcare system.

The war began after Hamas’s October 7 assault killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and saw 251 hostages taken. Since then, Israel’s campaign has killed more than 62,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry figures, which the UN cites as the most credible available. With famine warnings intensifying and ceasefire talks stalled, the planned Gaza City offensive threatens to deepen one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century.

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