Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday threatened the Palestinian civilians in famine-stricken Gaza City, telling them to leave and warning that the assault on the city would intensify, comments that came after his defense minister said Israeli strikes on the city would increase.
The Israeli leader claimed that the Israeli Air Force took down 50 high-rise buildings over the past two days and warned that it was just the beginning of the offensive. The IDF’s plans for Gaza City involve removing the civilian population, full military occupation, and razing the entire city to the ground.
Netanyahu and other officials claim the buildings that have been destroyed in Gaza City have been used by Hamas, but they have offered no evidence for the allegations. Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have also made clear that their ultimate goal is ethnic cleansing and the destruction of homes so Palestinians have nowhere to return.
“A few days ago, I promised you that we would bring down the terrorist high-rises in Gaza. This is exactly what we are doing. In the last two days, 50 such high-rises have fallen; the Air Force took them down,” Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office.
“Now, all of this is only the introduction, only the beginning of the main intensive operation – the ground incursion of our forces, that are now getting organized and gathering, into Gaza City. Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to say to the residents of Gaza, listen to me carefully: You have been warned; Get out of there!” he added.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned earlier in the day that a “hurricane” would be unleashed on Gaza City. “Today, a powerful hurricane will strike the skies of Gaza City, and the roofs of the terror towers will. 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,” he wrote on X.
“The IDF continues as planned—and is preparing to expand the maneuver to decisively defeat Gaza,” Katz added.
The Israeli military began its offensive to conquer Gaza City in early August and has slowly escalated the attack since then. The first part of the offensive primarily targeted the Zeitoun neighborhood, which was reduced to ruins within just a few weeks. The IDF expanded to other neighborhoods, and it has used tanks, explosive-laden armored vehicles, and grenades dropped from drones to destroy homes and tents.
Last week, Dr. Muneer Alboursh, director general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, said that at least 1,100 Palestinians have been killed and 6,000 wounded in Gaza City over just 20 days.
The threats from Katz and Netanyahu come after President Trump gave Hamas his “last warning” to accept a ceasefire proposal. But the proposal involves Hamas releasing all remaining Israeli captives without a guarantee for a full Israeli withdrawal and permanent ceasefire, making it unlikely Hamas will accept.
