In a big “final” warning to Palestinian militant outfit Hamas, Israel defence minister said on Monday “a powerful hurricane will strike the skies of Gaza City and the roofs of the terror towers” if the group does not surrender, release hostages and lay down weapons.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz warned Hamas in a post on X that it will be “annihilated” if it does not surrender.
“This is a final warning to the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza and in luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and lay down your weapons—or Gaza will be destroyed, and you will be annihilated,” Israel Katz said in the post on X.
“The IDF continues as planned—and is preparing to expand the maneuver to decisively defeat Gaza,” he added.
US President Donald Trump also on Sunday issued what he called his “last warning” to Hamas, urging the group to agree to a deal for releasing hostages from Gaza.
“The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well,” Trump wrote in a post his Truth Social platform.
“I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!” he added.
In a similar ultimatum last month, Israeli defense minister had said that Gaza City could be destroyed if Hamas does not accept Israel’s terms. The warning on August 22 had come amid Israel preparing for expansion of its offensive in the region.
Israel Katz had warned that “all gates of hell will open on the heads of Hamas” the enclave’s largest city could “turn into Rafah and Beit Hanoun,” referring to the areas which have been reduced to rubble in the war.
“The gates of hell will soon open on the heads of Hamas’ murderers and rapists in Gaza — until they agree to Israel’s conditions for ending the war,” Katz wrote in a post on X on August 22.
The Israeli war on Gaza began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which saw dozens of people being killed and taken as hostages.
In the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 were abducted, of whom most have been released in ceasefires or other deals.
