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Israel to resume fighting in Gaza if Hamas refuses to disarm — defense minister

"If Hamas refuses to implement the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the US, will return to fighting and act to achieve the complete defeat of Hamas, change the reality in Gaza, and attain all the objectives of the war," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said

TEL AVIV, October 16. /TASS/. Israel will resume combat operations in the Gaza Strip if Hamas refuses to disarm, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said.

"If Hamas refuses to implement the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the US, will return to fighting and act to achieve the complete defeat of Hamas, change the reality in Gaza, and attain all the objectives of the war," The Times of Israel quoted Katz’s office.

Katz instructed "the preparation of a plan for the complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza if it refuses to implement [US] President [Donald] Trump’s plan, and it becomes necessary to resume fighting," his office said.

The minister recalled that radical groups in the enclave are to disarm under the Gaza ceasefire agreement, while radical reject this provision. ""Under Trump’s plan, Hamas must return all the fallen hostages in its possession, and disarm, while Israel, together with the international force led by the US, will act to destroy all tunnels and terror infrastructure in Gaza to ensure that Gaza is demilitarized [and does not pose] any threat to the State of Israel," Katz noted.

On September 29, the White House released US President Donald Trump’s comprehensive plan to resolve the situation in the Gaza Strip. The 20-point document includes, among other measures, the establishment of temporary external administration in the Palestinian enclave and the deployment of international stabilization forces there. On October 9, Trump announced that Israeli and Hamas representatives had agreed on the first step of the peace plan after negotiations. According to Trump, the agreement included the release of all hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops to an agreed-upon line in Gaza.

On Monday, a peace summit was held in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh following the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Trump and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a final ceasefire agreement in the Palestinian enclave. According to al-Sisi's office, the summit participants called for the implementation of the next stages of Trump's plan, including governance, infrastructure reconstruction, and a political settlement.