Israel’s military tells medical officials and international groups to prepare for evacuation of 1 million Gaza City residents before planned ground offensive.
With the boast,
"After Rafah in the south, Beit Hanoun,"
Katz posted an aerial photo of the city demolished by Israeli shelling on July 11.
“Gaza City will look like Beit Hanoun,” Channel 12 quoted Katz as saying during a meeting with rabbis from the far-right Religious Zionism Party.
A fatal Israeli attack in the region in June 2024 left Beit Hanoun in ruins, prompting local Palestinian authorities to declare the area a "disaster zone."
The Israeli army had previously completely destroyed Rafah.
Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, is the leader of the Religious Zionism Party, which has long called for the devastation of the Gaza Strip, the eviction of Palestinians, and the construction of unauthorized colonies there.
One day prior to the threat, the defense minister had authorized a plan to invade Gaza City. Despite further mediation attempts and a ceasefire agreement that Hamas has accepted, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is anticipated to support the plan.
The strategy proposes moving almost 1 million Palestinians southward, encircling the city, and carrying out ground incursions into civilian sections.
The Israeli army began the initial stages on Aug. 11 with a broad assault on the Zeitoun area in southeast Gaza City. According to witnesses, the operation included mass relocation, indiscriminate shooting, artillery fire, and robots loaded with explosives burning up homes.
Since October 2023, Israel has killed around 62,200 Palestinians in Gaza. The famine-stricken enclave has been decimated by the military campaign.
For war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November.
The International Court of Justice is also considering a genocide complaint against Israel for its enclave war.
How might turning Gaza City into rubble impact the region's humanitarian situation?
The complete destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, water and electricity systems would severely disrupt access to essential services. This infrastructure damage exacerbates the existing crisis where over 60% of buildings in Gaza are already damaged or destroyed.
The destruction would forcibly displace millions of residents, many of whom are already internally displaced multiple times. With much housing destroyed, a massive shelter and homelessness crisis would result, worsening living conditions for the population of over 2 million.
With hospitals bombed or overwhelmed, lack of electricity and medical supplies, healthcare facilities would likely cease functioning, leaving injured civilians without critical care and increasing mortality.