By: Fern Sidman

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday morning declared that he has formally approved the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) operational blueprint to achieve nothing less than the decisive defeat of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The announcement, reported by Israel National News (INN), signals the imminent launch of what military planners are describing as the most ambitious and forceful phase of Israel’s war against the terrorist organization since the October 7 massacre.

In a message delivered with unambiguous severity, Katz outlined the central pillars of the newly approved strategy: intense firepower, civilian evacuations, and coordinated ground maneuvers.

“Yesterday, we approved the IDF’s plans for the defeat of Hamas in Gaza — through intense fire, evacuation of residents, and ground maneuvers,” Katz declared in a public statement.

He coupled the announcement with a stark warning to Hamas leadership: unless the group accepts Israel’s conditions for ending hostilities, it faces an unparalleled escalation. “If Hamas does not agree to Israel’s terms — the release of all hostages and the terror group’s complete disarmament — the gates of hell will soon open above the heads of Hamas’ murderers and rapists in Gaza,” Katz wrote.

As the INN report highlighted, Katz’s reference to Hamas’ atrocities — rape, murder, and mass hostage-taking — was deliberately phrased to remind both domestic and international audiences of the barbarism of October 7, when Hamas terrorists slaughtered 1,200 Israelis and abducted over 250 civilians and soldiers.

The Defense Minister was equally blunt in describing the fate awaiting Hamas strongholds should the group persist in its defiance. “If they don’t agree — Gaza, the capital of Hamas, will become like Rafah and Beit Hanoun. Just as I promised — that is how it will be.”

Both Rafah and Beit Hanoun have become synonymous with devastation following sustained IDF campaigns to dismantle Hamas’ infrastructure there. Entire tunnel networks have been exposed and destroyed, weapons caches obliterated, and multiple senior operatives eliminated. Katz’s invocation of these cities, INN observed, served as a thinly veiled promise that Gaza City — the symbolic and operational nerve center of Hamas — will soon meet a similar fate.

The central conditions for an Israeli cessation of military operations remain unchanged: The immediate release of all hostages, including those believed to remain in Gaza nearly a year after their abduction, and the complete disarmament of Hamas, effectively neutering the organization’s ability to operate as an armed force.

According to the information provided in the Israel National News report, Katz’s reiteration of these two non-negotiables underscores Israel’s determination not merely to secure short-term quiet, but to restructure the strategic equation in Gaza altogether. For decades, Hamas has exploited ceasefire deals to rebuild and rearm. Katz, echoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-held position, insists that only total disarmament and the dismantling of Hamas’ military apparatus can justify winding down operations.

Military analysts note that the tripartite approach — firepower, evacuations, and ground incursions — represents a synthesis of hard-learned lessons from earlier stages of the war.

Intense Firepower: Israeli artillery, precision-guided munitions, and close air support are expected to precede any ground advances, softening resistance and reducing IDF casualties. INN has previously documented the IDF’s evolving doctrine of “shock and paralysis,” a strategy aimed at overwhelming Hamas units before they can regroup.

Evacuation of Residents: By explicitly including the evacuation of civilians as a component of the plan, Katz acknowledged both humanitarian obligations and military necessities. Civilians are often exploited by Hamas as human shields, a tactic condemned widely in international forums. By clearing the battlespace, Israel aims to minimize collateral damage while denying Hamas its most insidious tactical advantage.

Ground Maneuvers: Ground operations remain the linchpin of the plan, enabling the IDF to physically uproot Hamas infrastructure, seize tunnels, and establish control in dense urban environments where airpower alone cannot achieve decisive results. As INN reported, Katz’s phrasing suggests that these maneuvers will be on a larger and more sustained scale than previous offensives.

Katz’s announcement comes against the backdrop of mounting international pressure for a ceasefire, particularly from European capitals and humanitarian organizations alarmed by the humanitarian toll in Gaza. Yet, as the Israel National News report emphasized, Israeli leadership views the current moment as strategically decisive. Ending the campaign prematurely, they argue, would leave Hamas intact and condemn Israel’s southern communities to perpetual insecurity.

Domestically, Katz’s words are calibrated to reassure an Israeli public still traumatized by October 7 and increasingly impatient for the return of hostages. His rhetoric of “the gates of hell” conveys a dual message: relentless vengeance against Hamas, and unwavering solidarity with Israeli families whose loved ones remain in captivity.

Military commentators interviewed by INN note that Katz’s message was carefully designed not only for Israeli citizens but for Hamas operatives themselves. By invoking the destruction of Rafah and Beit Hanoun, Katz sought to remind Hamas fighters of Israel’s capacity to dismantle entire urban centers that harbor terrorist infrastructure. His words are intended as both psychological warfare and a deterrent against continued defiance.

Yet analysts caution that Hamas has historically absorbed devastating blows while continuing to resist. Whether the threat of Gaza’s capital sharing the fate of Rafah will compel Hamas’ leadership to capitulate remains uncertain.

Friday’s announcement marks a critical juncture in the war. As the INN report indicated, Katz’s explicit approval of IDF plans indicates that Israel is transitioning from preparatory stages to the execution of what may prove to be the climactic phase of the conflict. The outcome will likely shape not only Gaza’s immediate future but also the broader strategic environment across the Middle East.

If successful, Israel’s operations could establish a precedent that terrorist groups cannot endure prolonged confrontation with the Jewish state without total collapse. Failure, however, could embolden adversaries in Lebanon, Iran, and beyond.

Defense Minister Katz’s declaration is as much a rallying cry as it is a policy statement. It reflects the unyielding Israeli conviction, articulated consistently by Israel National News, that Hamas’ reign of terror must be brought to an unequivocal end.

“The gates of hell will soon open,” Katz promised — a phrase that resonates with biblical force, designed to assure Israelis and warn Hamas in equal measure. For Gaza, the message is equally stark: unless its rulers release the hostages and lay down their arms, its cities may soon share the fate of Rafah and Beit Hanoun.

As Israel braces for the next phase of combat, the world watches with bated breath. The coming weeks will reveal whether Katz’s threat of “hell” becomes a battlefield reality — and whether Hamas can survive the storm that Israel is now poised to unleash.