Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday threatened to destroy all that remains of Gaza City and to force around one million Gazans to evacuate if Hamas, provoked by Iran or Turkey, takes a single Israeli hostage.
Katz said he was responding to the increasing threat of potential aggressive actions by Iran, Turkey, and proxies, including Hamas.
The defense minister said that such threats were the only way to deter Israel’s jihadist enemies from attacking.
While a theoretical statement – possibly a popular one within Israel – Katz’s threat may make the lives of Israeli lawyers trying to defend the Jewish state in The Hague from genocide and war crimes accusations more difficult in convincing judges that Israel’s leaders honor the proportionality rules of international law.
Further, in the public relations sphere, critics of Israel may use his statement to bolster allegations they recently broadcast via the NAZA documentary film – though the film itself reportedly provides few specific, concrete incidents.
Katz: IDF will not partially withdraw until Hamas fully disarms
In addition, Katz said that the IDF would not make any partial withdrawals from the 63% of Gaza that the military currently controls back to either the 53% point, or the approximately 30% point or 15% point, until Hamas is fully disarmed.
This statement will likely hold true until at least the United States’ midterm elections on November 3.
However, after that date, the Trump administration will renew its push for Israel to make partial Gaza withdrawals in exchange for Hamas taking partial disarmament actions, according to numerous public hints by US foreign affairs envoy Jared Kushner.