Liberman Mocks Defense Minister's Hamas Hostage Threat as 'Another Joke'

Avigdor Liberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, derided Defense Minister Israel Katz's warning regarding a potential Hamas hostage-taking scenario in Gaza. Liberman stated that if, three years after the October 7th massacre, intelligence still indicates Hamas's intent to abduct Israelis, it signifies the "bankruptcy" of the current government. He characterized Katz's statement as "another joke in the collection of empty declarations by the government," asserting that a government unable to achieve victory for three years never will.

Katz had issued the warning during a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers of the Yom Kippur War. He declared that Israel would not retreat from its current positions in Gaza, referred to as the "yellow line," to new lines within the Strip until Hamas is eliminated and Gaza is demilitarized. Katz explicitly warned Hamas and its supporters, including Iran and Turkey, that if a single Israeli soldier or civilian is abducted, the entire city of Gaza, with its homes and "terror towers," would be evacuated southward, mirroring past operations in Rafah and Beit Hanoun. He vowed that Gaza would be "treated" similarly to those areas, with 70% of its territory addressed, until the hostage is returned. Katz concluded that this approach of population evacuation, infrastructure destruction, and territorial seizure is the language that "jihadist terror organizations in Gaza and Lebanon understand."