Israeli defence minister says new Gaza operations imminent

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday announced that new operations would soon be conducted in further areas of the Gaza Strip.

"The IDF will soon operate with full force in additional areas of Gaza, and you will be asked to evacuate from combat zones for your own safety," he told residents of the coastal strip, in a video posted on X with Arabic subtitles.

Katz said the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas was endangering the lives of Gaza's residents and causing them to lose their homes.

Last week, Katz threatened that Israel would permanently take over parts of the Gaza Strip if Hamas did not release the remaining Israeli hostages held in the territory.

The longer Hamas refuses to release hostages, the more territory it will lose to Israel, the defence minister said.

In Wednesday's video, he told people that they should learn from the residents of Beit Lahia. On Tuesday evening, hundreds of Palestinians in the town in the north of the Gaza Strip demonstrated for an end to the war with Israel, with some also calling for an end to Hamas rule.

"Just as they did, demand the removal of Hamas from Gaza and the immediate release of all Israeli hostages — this is the only way to stop the war," Katz said.

Similar protests were reportedly taking place in Beit Lahia and other places on Wednesday evening.