Defense Minister Israel Katz meets with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and other officers, January 9, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)
TIMES OF ISRAEL | Published January 11, 2025
Defense minister’s office says he told military that freeing hostages is ‘top priority,’ warns against Israel being ‘drawn into war of attrition that will cost us heavily’
Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Friday that he had ordered the military to present him with a plan “for the complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” to be implemented if there is no hostage deal inked with the Palestinian terror group by the time incoming US president Donald Trump enters the White House.
“If the hostage deal does not materialize by the time President Trump takes office, there must be a complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” Katz said in a statement issued by his office.
Trump has threatened that there will be “hell to pay” if Israeli hostages held by the terror group aren’t released before he takes office on January 20.
“We must not be drawn into a war of attrition that will cost us heavily and not lead to victory and the complete strategic defeat of Hamas and the end of the war in Gaza,” Katz said, some 15 months after war erupted with the terror group’s brutal October 7, 2023, onslaught.
Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 398. The toll includes a police officer killed in a hostage rescue mission and a Defense Ministry civilian contractor.
Katz said he had instructed the Israel Defense Forces to present him with plans for the “complete defeat” of Hamas during a Thursday night assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and other top officers.
According to Katz’s office, the minister “emphasized that the issue of releasing the hostages has been the top priority of the defense establishment since he took office and that everything must be done to bring them home.”
“The defense minister emphasized that we must not be drawn into a war of attrition against Hamas in Gaza, while the hostages remain in the tunnels with their lives in danger and while they suffer severely,” the statement added.
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SOURCE: www.timesofisrael.com
RELATED: IDF Minister: Plan Hamas Defeat if Hostage Talks Fail
NEWSMAX | Published January 11, 2025
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 before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated for a second term on Jan. 20.
“If the hostage deal does not materialize by the time President Trump takes office, Hamas in Gaza must face complete defeat,” Katz stated in a release issued by his office on Friday.
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’ total defeat, which the IDF is expected to present during upcoming security assessments.
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.
Israeli forces target Hamas leadership, kill key terrorists
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.
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SOURCE: www.newsmax.com
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