Defense Minister Katz: “If a Soldier or Civilian Is Abducted, Gaza City Will Be Evacuated”

Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke today (Tuesday) at the annual memorial ceremony for those who fell in the Yom Kippur War, held at the National Memorial Hall on Mount Herzl.

Katz stressed that Israel will not withdraw from the Yellow Line in Gaza to new deployment lines inside Gaza as long as Hamas has not been removed and Gaza has not been demilitarized of weapons and tunnels. He also responded to reports that Hamas is planning to abduct Israeli soldiers or civilians: "In light of various intentions and intelligence reports, I warn the terrorist organization and its supporters, from Iran to Erdogan: If even one Israeli soldier or civilian is abducted, the entire city of Gaza, including its homes and terror towers, will be evacuated southward of its one million residents, as we did in Gideon’s Chariots II, and will be dealt with in the same way Rafah, Beit Hanoun, and 70% of Gaza’s territory were dealt with, until he is returned. This is the language that the jihadist terrorist organizations in Gaza and Lebanon understand, and this is the language we speak: evacuating the population, destroying the infrastructure, and taking the territory."

Katz added: "Even today, 53 years after the Yom Kippur War, we are in a campaign against those who seek to destroy us. They did not succeed in 1973, and they will not succeed today either. As a lesson from the Yom Kippur War, we struck Iran twice with powerful preemptive blows, removed the threat of nuclear destruction, eliminated Khamenei, and destroyed strategic capabilities that set Iran back many years. The job is not yet complete, and if necessary, we will strike a third time, until the terror regime is brought down and removed."

"The IDF is currently deployed in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza in powerful security zones beyond the border, as a lesson from the events of October 7, in order not to allow jihadist elements to be present near our borders and communities."