‘Gaza City Will Become Rafah and Beit Hanoun’: Israeli Defense Minister Threatens to Open ‘Gates of Hell’ Amid Plan to Occupy It

‘Gaza City Will Become Rafah and Beit Hanoun’: Israeli Defense Minister Threatens to Open ‘Gates of Hell’ Amid Plan to Occupy It

News August 22, 2025
‘Gaza City Will Become Rafah and Beit Hanoun’: Israeli Defense Minister Threatens to Open ‘Gates of Hell’ Amid Plan to Occupy It
Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that “soon, the gates of hell will open” and “Gaza City will become Rafah and Beit Hanoun,” amid stated plans to occupy the city that include the forced displacement of about one million Palestinians. “Soon, the gates of hell will open” if Hamas does not agree to “Israel’s conditions for ending the war, primarily the release of all hostages and their disarmament,” Katz said. “If they do not agree, Gaza [City], the capital of Hamas, will become Rafah and Beit Hanoon,” he added, referring to two cities in the Gaza Strip reduced to ruins during previous Israeli operations. Gaza City Occupy Plan On Monday, Hamas agreed to a proposal by Qatari and Egyptian mediators for a 60-day ceasefire, which according to Qatar would see the release of half of the remaining captives in Gaza. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apparently rejected this, saying he had instructed negotiations to begin only for the release of all remaining captives and an end to the war in Gaza on terms "acceptable to Israel". Once the temporary ceasefire begins, the proposal is for Hamas and Israel to begin negotiations on a permanent ceasefire that would include the return of the remaining captives. However, mediators have been waiting for days for an official Israeli response to their latest ceasefire proposal. Israel’s security cabinet two weeks ago approved plans to seize Gaza City, despite international condemnation from the United Nations and states. The plan reportedly involves forcing around one million residents southwards before surrounding the city and launching incursions into residential areas, followed by an expansion into refugee camps in central Gaza. On Thursday, Netanyahu said he will give final approval for the seizure of Gaza City despite talks for negotiations. Speaking to soldiers near Gaza, Netanyahu said he was still set on approving plans for seizing Gaza City, the densely populated centre at the heart of the Palestinian enclave, forcibly displacing close to 1 million people and carrying out the systematic demolitions of Palestinian homes. The wide-scale operation in Gaza City could start within days after Netanyahu grants final approval. Israeli forces have already stepped up attacks there, and thousands of Palestinians have left their homes as Israeli tanks edged closer to Gaza City over the last 10 days. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) estimated that 90 percent of Gaza’s residents have been displaced, warning that shelters are deteriorating and any further displacement will worsen the catastrophic situation. The Palestinian Ministry of Interior denounced Israel’s push to seize Gaza City as a “death sentence” for the more than one million people living there.

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