Israel’s defense minister threatens ‘utter destruction’ of Gaza if civilians don’t expel Hamas

(LifeSiteNews) — Israel’s Defense Minister issued a demand to the destitute civilian population of Gaza that unless they successfully fight and defeat Hamas in some type of conflict, expelling them from Gaza, and return the Israeli hostages, they will be subject to “utter destruction and devastation.”

Israel Katz, who has served as head of the Israeli military since November, warned that their genocidal assaults against the civilian population were going to severely intensify beyond even the attacks that began again on Tuesday morning and have killed at least 436 Palestinians, including 183 children, 94 women, 34 elderly people and 125 men, while injuring at least 678 others.

“Citizens of Gaza, this is your last warning. The first Sinwar ruined Gaza, and the second Sinwar will destroy it completely. The air force attack against Hamas terrorists was only the first step, the rest will be significantly worse, and you will pay the price,” he threatened in a formal video posted on social media.

This is a message to the residents of Gaza: The first Sinwar destroyed Gaza, and the second Sinwar will bring its complete ruin. Soon, the evacuation of the population from combat zones will resume, and what follows will be far more severe—you will pay the full price. Return the… pic.twitter.com/zkLCwXHX43

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) March 19, 2025

He stated his army would soon resume evacuating the civilian population from “fighting zones” and issued an ultimatum: “Unless all the Israeli hostages are released, and Hamas is expelled from Gaza, Israel will act with forces never before seen.”

He went on to apparently reference a March 5 genocidal threat from President Donald Trump to the decimated “people of Gaza,” half of whom are children, that they would be “dead” if the Israeli hostages weren’t released by Hamas immediately.

“Take the U.S. president’s advice,” Katz continued. “Return the hostages and expel Hamas and other options will be presented to you, including relocating to other places in the world for those who wish. The alternative is utter destruction and devastation.”

The army chief’s comment appears to reaffirm the long-standing goal of the heresy of religious Zionism, even from its earliest conception in the 19^th century, to forcibly expel the Palestinian people from the land of their forefathers with “brutal compulsion” and create an exclusive Jewish ethno-state in its place.

As early as November 2023, only a month into the current genocidal attacks upon the enclave, Colonel Douglas Macgregor affirmed these hostilities were only “the first stage in a multistage operation designed to create ‘greater Israel’ from the Jordan River all the way to the Mediterranean.” The Israelis have made this goal “abundantly clear off-and-on for many years. This is not a secret. Now it’s happening.”

As incoming president in January, Trump took credit for brokering a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that would have led to the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from Gaza.

Yet after Israel’s many overt violations of this ceasefire deal, on March 2, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the resumption of a total blockade of all humanitarian aid, including food, water, medical supplies, electricity and temporary housing structures for the besieged civilian population. And with the execution of Tuesday’s blistering strikes in the enclave, Israel shattered the deal completely.

READ: Genocide ‘only reasonable conclusion’ to Israel’s crimes in Gaza: Amnesty International

In a Wednesday letter testifying to the gruesome tragedies he has experienced as an American trauma surgeon volunteering in southern Gaza, Dr. Feroze Sidhwa affirmed that Hamas remains committed to Trump’s ceasefire agreement “and by all accounts, Hamas has adhered to the deal.”

“Anyone who reads the Israeli press knew that Israel’s plan from the start was to never enter phase two of the ceasefire deal, just like Israel has failed to adhere to any ceasefire signed with Hamas since 2004,” he continued.

“The United States is a sworn guarantor of the January 19 ceasefire agreement, and our assistance in helping Israel violate it is thus doubly illegal,” the surgeon observed. “Americans should immediately stop providing the crucial military, diplomatic, and economic support that makes these crimes possible.”

“I hope people will do whatever they can in this crucial moment,” he concluded.

READ: On Holocaust Memorial Day, Jewish group protests Israel’s ‘sadistic’ genocide in Gaza

Throughout his campaign and even during his inaugural address, the 47th president repeated his intention to “be a peacemaker” and “stop all wars.”  In the context of the massacres in Gaza, Trump said in April 2024, “let’s get back to peace and stop killing people.”

Yet, in addition to his March 5 genocidal threat against two million destitute civilians, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that President Trump provided Israel with a “green light” to initiate Tuesday’s massive strikes upon the enclave which killed almost 200 children.

Since taking office less than two months ago, the Trump administration has supplied Israel with enormous levels of military aid, including the approval of nearly $12 billion from U.S. taxpayers to provide the Israeli military with hundreds of 2,000-pound bombs.

And during this time, the administration did not pressure Israel to honor the terms of the ceasefire agreement for which Trump himself took personal credit.

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