Israel threatens to "destroy" Gaza City if Hamas does not accept its "conditions" for a settlement.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened on Friday to "destroy" the entire city of Gaza if the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) does not "accept the Israeli conditions" for a ceasefire agreement.

"Yesterday, we approved the army's plans to defeat Hamas in Gaza: with intense fire, evacuations of residents, and maneuvers. Soon, the gates of hell will open upon the heads of Hamas's murderers and rapists," he said in a statement released on social media.

In this regard, he explained that this "hell" will last "until they accept Israel's conditions for ending the war" and clarified that the main priority is the "release of all hostages" and the "disarmament" of the Palestinian armed group.

"If they don't come to an agreement, Gaza, the Hamas capital, will become Rafah and Beit Hanoun. Just as I promised, it will be so," Katz clarified, days after the Israeli government approved a plan to "take over the entire city of Gaza."

This measure has been harshly criticized by Hamas, but also by other countries in the region, including Egypt, which has accused Israel of frustrating the possibility of reaching an agreement with the Palestinian group. For its operation, dubbed "Chariots of Gideon II," the Israeli Army plans to deploy some 60,000 reservists to the city.