Israel wants to “end work” in Gaza and move forward with migration plan

Katz said that the Israeli army was ready to “complete the work” in the Gaza Strip and that then the Palestinians would be removed.

The minister responded to a political opponent in the October legislative election campaign, who ridiculed the government for announcing the death of a Hamas brigade commander in the south of the Gaza Strip.

“ Three years of war, five divisions that fought in Gaza, and there is still a commander and brigade [of Hamas] in Rafah?”, questioned Ofer Winter, candidate for a new right-wing formation.

Israel has already “emptied Rafah from inhabitants and 70% from Gaza” since the start of the offensive launched after Hamas’ unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023, Kataz, a member of the Likud party, replied.

Kataz stated that the ceasefire achieved under the aegis of the United States in October 2025 had “a precious value for all the Israelites” for allowing the last hostages held in Gaza to return.

He also pointed out the compromise provided for in the agreement to disarm Hamas.

“We all realized that this was not going to happen,” Katz said in a statement quoted by the French agency AFP.

“ The army is ready, when the order comes, to eliminate Hamas, finish the work, so that we can also implement the migration plan ", added.

Katz had already stated in early September that Israel was prepared to empty Gaza of the population, but the authorities were waiting for the green light from the United States.

He then mentioned that the United States had first to determine where to send the two million inhabitants of Gaza.

The American ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, denied any plan to “displace people out of Gaza against their will.”.

Katz described the plan as voluntary and said that most Palestinians want to leave without demonstrating how it came to that conclusion.

Almost all of Gaza's population was displaced within the territory, devastated by the war, which caused more than 73,700 deaths on the Palestinian side, according to Hamas-controlled government authorities.

The military offensive in Gaza, which was worth accusations of genocide against Israel, followed the terrorist attack on Israeli soil in October 2023, led by Hamas, which caused about 1,200 deaths and 250 hostages.