ISTANBUL

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened on Monday to unleash “the gates of hell” on the Gaza Strip if the Palestinian group Hamas fails to release Israeli hostages.

“If Hamas does not release the hostages, the gates of hell will open in Gaza,” Katz said in a ceremony marking the demolitions of buildings damaged in Israeli missile strikes last month in the city of Holon near Tel Aviv.

“This is a complex war, it goes beyond what was done in the past. We are approaching stages where decisions need to be made. This is leadership and we are responsible, not the prosecutor and not anyone else.”

Hamas has repeatedly offered to release all Israeli captives in exchange for ending the war, Israeli troop withdrawal, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted such terms, instead calling for the disarmament of the Palestinian resistance factions and signaling plans to reoccupy Gaza.

Israel estimates that 58 hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 believed to be alive. Meanwhile, over 10,100 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons under harsh conditions, including reports of torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups.

The Israeli opposition and hostages’ families have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war to appease his far-right coalition partners and maintain power.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.