Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the Israel Defense Forces to urgently develop a plan for a decisive victory over Hamas in Gaza if a hostage deal is not finalized this month.
Katz set a deadline of US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration for a second term on January 20.
“If the hostage deal does not materialize by the time President Trump takes office, Hamas in Gaza must face complete defeat,” he stated in a release issued by his office on Friday.
The rhetoric mirrored that of President Trump himself, who recently said that Hamas would have “hell to pay” if they kept any hostages beyond his first day in office.
The statement emphasized that Israel must avoid being drawn into a prolonged war of attrition, which would be costly and fail to deliver a strategic victory or end the conflict in Gaza.
Katz called for a plan ensuring Hamas’s total defeat, which the IDF is expected to present during upcoming security assessments.
But his comments seemingly indicate that the war could continue indefinitely if an agreement isn’t reached soon.
During a meeting on Thursday night attended by IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen. Herzi Halevi and other senior officials, Katz reiterated that securing the release of the hostages remains the top priority of the defense establishment.
“Everything must be done to bring them home,” he said.
Katz also instructed the IDF to identify potential challenges to implementing the plan, such as humanitarian concerns, and to leave those decisions to the political leadership.
He emphasized that discussions on Gaza’s political future are irrelevant to the current military strategy, saying that no Arab or other party would assume responsibility for Gaza’s civilian affairs while Hamas remains intact.
The statement comes after the IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced on Thursday the elimination of key Hamas figures involved in attacks on Israeli forces.
In a series of airstrikes, Osama Abu Namos, the commander of the "Sabra" Battalion in Hamas's Gaza City Brigade, and his deputy Mahmoud Al Tarq were killed.
Both men were responsible for directing attacks on Israeli troops and civilians, according to the military.
Mahmoud Shaheen and Hamada Diri, company commanders in the battalion, were also killed.
The IDF and Shin Bet affirmed their commitment to continuing operations against Hamas terrorists.
