Defense Minister Katz: Military Pressure Forcing Hamas to Negotiate
Defense Minister Katz told senior IDF commanders that the operation to take Gaza City was vital for ending the war on Israel's terms.
Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke today (Monday) to the IDF's senior command, discussing the importance of the operation to take Gaza City for both eliminating Hamas and forcing the return of the hostages:
"There is enormous importance in achieving the war objectives as they were defined in the Gaza Strip.
"The focus on Gaza City stems from it being a military, governmental and symbolic center of gravity. That's where the leadership is located and where the central infrastructures of the military wing remain. Hamas is also aware that this is the core of its rule now. Deciding Gaza City will bring about Hamas's surrender.
"At this point in time, given the entire situation as it is, Gaza's weight is much more significant than it was at the beginning of the war, and deciding it through the course of action that will be formulated is much more significant. The one who knows this is Hamas.
"We see that Hamas, for the first time, after weeks when it wasn't willing to discuss any deal for releasing hostages at all, despite even Turkey already approaching it and Qatar approaching it, suddenly it's on the table. The reason is clear: only their fear that we seriously intend to conquer Gaza - faced with this alternative, they are willing to discuss.
"I want to say that the decisions made in the cabinet led by the Prime Minister are policy and security decisions that combine together the military effort and the political effort.
"The military effort that you, that the IDF leads, is intended to achieve the war objectives through the political means that are being advanced today with the US and with regional countries - these things are integrated together, one feeds the other. The decision is not only security-related, it's also political so that as a result of all the security moves there will be tremendous leverage of pressure, which we hope that led by the US, with US validation, in order to pressure.
"Therefore, the current preparation for deciding Hamas is the right way to complete the missions and war objectives and it also assists in the great leverage for the possibility of creating pressure on Hamas - American, global, general pressure to end this under conditions of Hamas surrender that the Prime Minister set out, the five conditions. Including releasing all the hostages. We are in favor of ending the war under these conditions, and the only way this might happen or advance is the force that you applied, the force that you are preparing, planning, and all of us together will attack, and this force can also bring about this result."
"This appears to be a military or political briefing discussing strategy regarding Gaza operations and negotiations with Hamas."