Defense Minister Katz says Israeli military is ready to complete its mission the moment it receives orders to eliminate Hamas

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz [Reuters]
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz [Reuters]

With Israel's general election little more than a month away, Defense Minister Israel Katz, a key figure in the current right-wing government, has again signaled his intent to resume a full-scale offensive in Gaza and pursue the mass displacement of Palestinian residents.

Katz said Wednesday (local time) that it was only a matter of time before Israel resumed full-scale operations in Gaza and moved forward with the displacement of the roughly 2 million Palestinians living there. Israel is scheduled to hold its general election on Oct. 27.

He praised the truce proposal that US President Donald Trump announced last October as being "of the highest value to all Israelis," saying it had secured the return of remaining hostages and a US commitment to Hamas disarmament.

At the same time, Katz shrugged off the possibility that Hamas would voluntarily disarm. "We all know that is not going to happen," he said — a strong signal that he sees a full-scale military resumption in Gaza as all but inevitable.

He added that "the Israeli military is ready to complete its mission the moment it receives orders to eliminate Hamas," and that "once that happens, the displacement plan can also be put into action."

Katz's remarks came as he pushed back against criticism from the right-wing rival party Yisrael Beiteinu ahead of next month's election, making clear to right-wing voters that he remains committed to resuming military operations in Gaza.

Earlier this month, at an event hosted by the Israeli outlet Ynet, Katz declared that "ultimately, there is no real solution for Gaza without displacement," adding that "if it becomes possible, we are thoroughly prepared to move them out by every means — sea, air and all others."

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, one of the most prominent far-right figures in the Netanyahu government, subsequently unveiled a large-scale Gaza displacement plan he named "Disengagement 710."

The plan aims to relocate about 1.86 million Palestinians out of Gaza over the next seven years, and Ben Gvir has made the creation of a dedicated "Ministry of Displacement" a condition for joining the next government.

Ben Gvir put forward a detailed budget estimate, projecting that initial resettlement support and related costs could reach up to 50 billion shekels ($15.2 billion).

Officials in the current government who are pushing for the displacement of Gaza residents insist that Palestinians want to leave and that they are waiting on a US decision about where those people would go.

Washington, however, has distanced itself from such statements.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee rejected any such plan, saying "there is no plan to forcibly relocate the people of Gaza against their will."

The international community has also sharply condemned Israel's renewed threats of a full-scale military offensive and its mass displacement plans, widely characterizing them as ethnic cleansing.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com