Israel’s defence minister has said the “gates of hell will open” on Gaza City if Hamas does not agree to their conditions for ending the war.
This week, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his cabinet had approved plans for a huge assault on Gaza City which will displace hundreds of thousands of people.
In a post on X, Israel Katz warned Gaza City will experience the “gates of hell,” and threatened to raze the city in the same way areas such as Rafah and Beit Hanoun were.
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He wrote: “Soon, the gates of hell will open upon the heads of Hamas’s murderers and rapists in Gaza – until they agree to Israel’s conditions for ending the war, primarily the release of all hostages and their disarmament.
“If they do not agree, Gaza, the capital of Hamas, will become Rafah and Beit Hanoun.”
The planned offensive on Gaza City, which is home to one million residents, has been condemned by the international community, and the UN said the “relentless bombardment” of the city is causing a “high numbers of civilian casualties and large-scale destruction.”
On Friday, a UN-backed body, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classifications, is expected to give an update on famine in Gaza.
Gaza is suffering from severe food and water shortages as Israel continues to heavily restrict the amount of food and aid allowed into the region. Gaza’s health ministry says 271 people have died of “famine and malnutrition” since on 7 October 2023 – including 112 children.
Last month, the IPC said the “worst-case scenario of famine” was “playing out in Gaza”.