Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz placed the nation’s armed forces on high alert on Tuesday, October 6, ahead of the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, issuing a stern warning that Gazans would face consequences “beyond all proportion” if military personnel come under fire.
The directive followed intelligence pointing to imminent operations planned by Hamas against Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stationed in the enclave.
“The instruction came in light of intelligence regarding Hamas’s intentions to attempt to carry out attacks and terror operations against our forces in Gaza on that day,” Defense Minister Katz’s office stated in an official release issued early Tuesday.
“If, heaven forbid, our forces are harmed, the ones who will pay the heavy price will be Hamas and the population of Gaza, beyond all proportion,” the statement warned.
The warning comes on the eve of the three-year mark of the deadliest single event in Israel’s history. On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants breached security barriers to carry out attacks that resulted in 1,221 deaths inside Israel, based on official figures compiled by Agence France-Presse (AFP). Terrorists also abducted 251 hostages into the Gaza Strip, including 44 who were killed prior to or during the capture.
Israel responded with a broad military campaign that left vast swathes of the enclave decimated. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that over 74,200 people have been killed in the territory since the onset of the conflict, figures considered reliable by the United Nations. Despite a ceasefire implemented last October, localized military engagements have continued, with the ministry reporting more than 1,440 Gazan deaths over the past year.
Addressing the nation on Monday, October 5, during a formal state ceremony in Jerusalem marking three years since the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s strategic objectives.
“There will be no Hamas rule in Gaza,” Netanyahu declared at the memorial, vowing that Israeli forces will continue to pursue all individuals involved in the 2023 attacks or the ongoing detention of hostages.
