Defense Minister Israel Katz revealed on Tuesday morning during an official memorial service for fallen soldiers of the Yom Kippur War that intelligence has been received indicating intentions by the Hamas terror organization to execute abduction operations. Katz warned that should an Israeli soldier or resident be kidnapped, Israel will unleash an extensive campaign across the Gaza Strip.
1+“I warn Hamas and its sponsors, from Iran to Erdoğan: If an Israeli soldier or resident is kidnapped, all of Gaza City, with its one million residents, will be evacuated south, exactly as we have done in the past,” the Defense Minister stated. Katz made clear that any abduction attempt will be met with decisive, disproportionate force against Hamas, while explicitly aiming his warning at Iran and Turkey, which he identified as active sponsors of the terror organization.
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The defense chief’s public warning comes in the wake of unusual, escalating incidents adjacent to IDF positions along the Gaza perimeter. On Saturday, Channel 14 News broadcast exclusive footage documenting a suspect approaching an IDF outpost, alongside a separate incident in which a terrorist crossed the Yellow Line, coming within roughly 100 meters of an active military post.