Defense Minister Israel Katz's threat to evacuate Gaza City's residents southward if a soldier or civilian is abducted has drawn sharp criticism from the right. Israel Prize laureate Menachem Kalmenson attacked the approach, calling for proactive offensive operations rather than relying on threats contingent on Hamas actions.
In an interview on Galei Israel radio with hosts Doron Cohen and Moshe Cohen-Eliyahu, Kalmenson shared: "We had a meeting with Minister Katz when he entered the position and he promised us that what happened won't happen again, that they would create a different reality in Gaza. When you wait for Hamas to act, eventually it will happen, eventually a soldier will be abducted."
Kalmenson expressed frustration that the security establishment is not acting immediately against terror reorganization: "If you know that Hamas is reorganizing, why weren't the command centers destroyed that same day? Why aren't you going on the offensive? Doesn't this remind you of statements before October 7th? It immediately takes me back there. 'If Hamas does such and such and if Hezbollah does such and such,' we know this."
