Katz orders IDF to present plan for ‘complete defeat of Hamas’ if no hostage deal reached by Trump’s inauguration

Defense Minister Israel Katz says he has ordered the IDF to present him with a plan “for the complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” if there is no hostage deal by the time incoming US president Donald Trump enters the White House.

“If the hostage deal does not materialize by the time President Trump takes office, there must be a complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” Katz says in a statement issued by his office.

Katz says, “We must not be drawn into a war of attrition that will cost us heavily and not lead to victory and the complete strategic defeat of Hamas and the end of the war in Gaza.”

Katz instructed the military to present him with plans for the “complete defeat” of Hamas during an assessment last night with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and other top officers.

According to Katz’s office, the minister “emphasized that the issue of releasing the hostages has been the top priority of the defense establishment since he took office and that everything must be done to bring them home.”

“The defense minister emphasized that we must not be drawn into a war of attrition against Hamas in Gaza, while the hostages remain in the tunnels with their lives in danger and while they suffer severely,” the statement says.

Katz asked the IDF to “specify the issues that might make it difficult to carry out the plan, including the humanitarian issue and other issues, and leave it to the political echelon to make the necessary decisions.”

The defense minister also “emphasized that the matter of the political solution to Gaza is not relevant to the issue of the plan and the activity required now, because no Arab or other party will take responsibility for managing civilian life in Gaza as long as Hamas is not completely crushed.”