Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz says “the gates of hell will open” against Hamas if the remaining hostages still in Gaza are not released soon.
“We will return to fighting and [Hamas] will face the [Israel Defense Forces] with strength and methods that it has not known, until [Hamas] is totally defeated,” Katz said while speaking at an event in Jerusalem on Monday, according to The Times of Israel.
“We will not allow Hamas to rule in Gaza,” he added.
Katz’s comments come after the initial six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came to an end over the weekend. Despite some challenges along the way, phase one of the ceasefire went largely as planned and included the release of more than 30 hostages from Gaza, including Israeli American citizens Keith Siegel, 65, and Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36.
Hamas and Israel have not reached an…
