Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that the U.S. commitment to disarm Hamas will not be fulfilled, and that the IDF is ready to eliminate the terror group and "finish the job" in Gaza so that Israel can carry out what he called a migration plan for the territory's residents.
"We all understand that this is not going to happen, and the IDF is prepared, once given the directive to eliminate Hamas, to finish the job so that we can also implement the migration plan," Katz said in a statement, according to AFP.
Katz said the ceasefire announced by President Donald Trump in October 2025 had "supreme value for all Israelis" because it brought home the remaining hostages and secured a U.S. commitment to disarm Hamas. He said 70 percent of Gaza had already been emptied of its population during the war that followed the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
AFP described the remarks as signaling that it was only a matter of time before Israel resumes full-scale war in Gaza and moves to force out the territory's roughly two million Palestinians. Katz has described the migration plan as voluntary, saying most Gazans want to leave.
Katz made the statement in response to criticism from another right-wing candidate ahead of Israel's October 27 election.
Earlier this month, Katz said Israel was ready to move Palestinians out of Gaza by sea and land, but was waiting on the United States, which he said was discussing where they would go. U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee has denied that there is any plan to displace people out of Gaza against their will.
