Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that he instructed the army to continue demolitions in the part of Gaza remaining under Israeli control as part of the first phase of ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
“I have instructed the IDF (Israeli army) to prioritise the destruction of the tunnels as the central task in the yellow zone currently under our control, alongside protecting the soldiers and communities,” Katz wrote on X.
He said it is being done in parallel with the discussions with US officials, including the vice president, secretaries of state and defence, presidential envoys and CENTCOM commanders — on the need to implement US President Donald Trump’s plan and ensure the full “dismantling and destruction of all terror tunnels in the remaining territory under their responsibility, alongside disarming Hamas”.
“Demilitarising Gaza through the destruction of Hamas’s tunnels, alongside disarming Hamas, is, in my view, the most important strategic objective for achieving victory in Gaza,” he said.
Katz added that the most urgent moral mission is the return of all hostages and the fallen to their homes, and “we will do everything to fulfill this sacred and critical mission”.
“The overarching strategic mission to realise the great victory achieved by the heroic IDF (Israeli army) fighters against Hamas in Gaza is the demilitarisation of Gaza through the complete destruction of the tunnels, 60% of which still remain — alongside disarming Hamas,” he said.
However, international health and human rights organisations have repeatedly challenged Israel’s justifications for its military assaults in Gaza.
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