‘From Iran to Erdogan’: Israel Katz threatens to flatten Gaza

The remarks were made at an annual memorial ceremony in honour of the soldiers killed in the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to flatten Gaza City if Hamas takes any soldiers or civilians hostage, calling on Iran and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“In light of various intentions and intelligence, I warn the terror organisation and its supporters, from Iran to Erdogan: if even one Israeli soldier or civilian is kidnapped, the entire Gaza City’s… one million residents will be evacuated southward,” Katz said.

He did not elaborate on the “various intentions and intelligence” behind his threats.

The remarks were made at an annual memorial ceremony in honour of the soldiers killed in the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

‘Language jihadists understand’

During his address, Katz said Gaza will be dealt with in the same way that Rafah, Beit Hanoun and “70 per cent of Gaza Strip” were dealt with, “until they are returned”. The Israeli forces had largely razed and destroyed the regions Katz mentioned during their military action in Gaza.

The Defence Minister said, “This is the language that the jihadist terror organisations in Gaza and Lebanon understand, and this is the language we speak: Evacuating the population, destroying the infrastructure and taking the territory.”

He asserted that Israel will not withdraw from the Yellow Line in Gaza to new deployment lines “as long as Hamas has not been eliminated and Gaza disarmed of weapons and tunnels.”